How Social Media Affordances Mediate the Digital Diaspora: Latinx Perspectives

Abstract

With the increasing prominence of online communications, scholars have begun to investigate the concept of the digital diaspora—the ways in which immigrants create and maintain connections with each other, their country of origin, and the receiving nation. We suggest that the affordances of social media platforms are instrumental in developing and strengthening the digital diaspora. In particular, the six affordances—confidentiality, connectivity, creativity, interactivity, spreadability, and visibility—contribute to the power of the digital diaspora. We contextualize this discussion by focusing on Latinx immigrants in the United States. Their experiences and perspectives illuminate how an affordances framework can explicate the formation of a digital diaspora.