Reviewing the Literature

As I have begun the process of completing an annotated bibliography and have compiled the pre-existing literature, it is evident that work on this detail on the lives of migrants is still developing. The literature I have come across pertains to countries in the eastern hemisphere, detailing their migration into Europe. Although, comparing this literature may prove to be beneficial by allowing us to discern the ways in which the migration process of Mexicans relates or differs. Additionally, if the research on how migrants utilize social networks is sparse, then our work could be used to expand the literature.

            A particularly interesting article authored by Rianne Dekker and Godfried Engbersen entitled “How Social Media Transform Migrant Networks and Facilitate Migration” offers insight to the significance of social media within the migration process. Dekker and Engbersen elaborate on how migrants utilize social media through the establishment of migrant networks used to inform migrants of communities with large populations of people from similar backgrounds. Assimilation becomes easier when people are surrounded by people they have established relationships online with and those who share a similar background. The authors mention that this experience is not a universal one due to the discrepancies in accessibility to social media, with that being said, the work is still able to offer invaluable information on how social media can facilitate the migration process and how it has transformed the process from what it once was.