Social networks and virtual presence of Mexican migrants in the United States

Abstract

In this paper I present partially the results of my doctoral thesis research, which has focused on exploring the role of information and communication technologies in the processes of identity formation and insertion of migrant communities in their territories. welcomed from the case of Mexican migrants in the United States. To do this I map the groups and pages on Facebook corresponding to the Mexican community in New York and Los Angeles. Two cities with very different trajectories, settlement patterns and organizational structures. In this work, I explore the relationship between virtual presence and migratory social networks, and how ICTs are used in the process of adaptation and arrival in the host society by migrant communities. I try to know through a comparative analysis both the degree of inclusion and participation of immigrant communities in the Information Society and whether ICTs represent an effective update regarding the traditional functions of protection, inclusion and group cohesion with respect to traditional migrant clubs or, on the contrary, their use is a response to different dynamics, contexts and needs.