Migrants and their smartphones: interlaced mobilities online and offline

The increasing symbiosis between contemporary mobility and global Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been widely recognized in both migration and media studies. 1 Advanced media technology, including smartphones, facilitates information exchange and instantaneous communication. 2 The pervasive use of smartphones is an everyday reality for migrants; their activities are increasingly taking place online and in real time. 3 The use of smartphones by migrants and their families illustrates the different scales of modern mobility within structural socioeconomic and political orders. 4 Smartphones, and those applications downloaded to the device, enhance connectivity 5 with regard to transaction, entertainment, socialization, networking, and activism. They help with community building and boost a sense of belonging among people who are connected via various applications.