A Sense of Belonging. Social Media Use of Latin American Migrants in Australai

This chapter focuses on how social media is used as a new form of agency to assist Latin Americans in their process of migration in Australia. In particular, the chapter examines a Facebook-linked webpage that publishes inspiring stories (expressions of belonging, their success and their contribution to the Australian society) of Latin Americans who have succeeded as migrants in different parts of Australia. Members use the digital platform to find support and inspiration. This study explored the narrative of their members towards these stories by using content analysis methodology (CA). We analysed 63 messages and comments posted in Spanish and English on the Facebook-linked webpage. To incorporate the insights from the literature on migration, we focus upon three key phases of migration: pre-migrants, post-migrants and settled migrants. For the purpose of this study we will use the term Latin Americans but consciously knowing that we are not putting every Latin American under the same umbrella, as every Latin American country has its own differences. Latin American immigrants in Australia are a small population in comparison to the one in the USA or Canada. This, therefore, makes this study a first academic investigation on the use of Facebook by Latin American immigrants in some parts of Australia. We address two main research questions: how the narratives of identity and belonging support identities and cultural practices within the Latin American communities; and how those stories impact, motivate and enhance the participants' ability to adapt to the new conditions they face as migrants, in particular new arrivals. The present work opens new venues for future comparative analysis of immigrant narratives of their experiences under new migration policies between Latin Americans living in Australia and in other countries such as the USA that could be of interest to researchers on migration and social media