Virtual Communities and the Successful Integration of New Immigrants

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Virtual Communities and the Successful
Integration of New Immigrants
Nevena Mitropolitska INRS-UCS, Montreal
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Research Objective

• Explore the impact of the Internet forums on
  the settlement process of new immigrants
• Internet forum a form of online community
  based on the technological capacity of a software
  to make public messages, to answer them publicly,
  to exchange private messages and to communicate
  in real time privately or in a groupe.

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Methodology

• Case study (www.bgcanada.com)
• Qualitative research
• Semi-structured interviews (face-to-face or
  online)
• Content analysis

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The interviews

• 4 target groups of interviewees
• Immigration candidates
• Immigrants
• Administrators et moderators
• Control groupe
• Why immigration candidates?

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Geography of fieldwork (Ca)
Toronto 6 interviews (2 online)
Montreal 6 interviews (2 online)
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Geography of fieldwork (Bg)
Sofia 3 interviews (1 online interview)
Plovdiv 3 interviews (1 online)
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Immigrant settlement (dimensions)

• Economic
• Social
• Symbolic

Taboada Leonetti
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Preliminary Results
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Social aspect (social networks)
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Social networks according to the geographical
extension

• Local networks
• Regional networks
• Global networks
• Means of communication
• In-person encounters
• Instant messaging
• E-mail or private messages

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Reproduction of the networks
Montreal

• Plovdiv
• Sofia (the older wave
• of immigration)
• Sofia (the more recent
• wave of immigration)

Montreal
Montreal
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Strong Ties Weak Ties
Strong ties between social actors who belong to
the same social group (kin, close friends)
Weak ties between social actors who belong
to different social groups
www.bgcanada.com

• Weak ties
• Strong ties (friendship settlement assistance
• spatial concentration)

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Community lost view Vs. community liberated view
(Wellman)

• Community lost
• Community saved
• Community liberated
• The neighbourhood-bound community is no longer
  seen as the only source of solidarity
• Problem

Neighbourhood
Mobilization or creation of assistance networks
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Densely knit network, strong solidarity
Community saved
Sparsely-knit networks, unclear limits
Community liberated
www.bgcanada.com
Community saved (spatial concentration strong
ties)
Community liberated
Both types of community can be usefull for the
immigrants successful settlement
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Possible Policy Implications

• Interactive communication in the official
  immigration sites? Is it possible?
• UK government official site
• Natural Resources Canada
• The price to pay (Does the public bureaucracy
  really need it?)
• Source of information (not rigorous, but provides
  prompt feedback)

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Possible Policy Implications

• Observation of the forum could help adapt the
  information to the current needs of the clients
• Which groups among immigrants can use the forums?
  
• (Possible budget readjustment regarding the
  new digital divide between immigrants.)
• Near future or futurism?

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Thank you )