Topological and content analysis of the cyberspace of the Indian diaspora (original) (raw)
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ICT,, Migrant Networks and Transnational Identity
The global expansion of Infromation-Communication-Technology (ICT) widens access to information, enhances communication capacity, and is expected to promote social inclusion and facilitate democratic participation. Among the most influential factors facilitating these phenomena is the effect of glocalization on languages in cyberspace. Global migration is turning many societies into culturally diverse societies, as immigants settle down and their descendants become ethnic minorities in their host country. Migrants often leave behind not only physical capital but also much of their social capital. ICT – both global and glocal - plays a major role in nurturing "virtual" social capital. Global social networking sites encourage the development of bridging social capital, while local immigrant digital networks enable them to develop bonding social capital in their new country and transnational networks enable them to maintain some of their former bonding social capital in their country of origin. The traditional image of the uprooted immigrant is being replaced by the image of a connected immigrant. Today's migrants are the actors of a culture of bonds, which they maintain even as they move about. This culture of bonds became visible and highly dynamic since migrants began using ICT massively. It is more and more common for migrants to maintain remote relations typical of relations of proximity and to activate them on a daily basis. From a Diaspora perspective, immigrants are also emigrants. ICT enables them to engage in transnational connections and maintain transnational and/or pluricultural identities. Diaspora as an analytic term is relevant for investigations of media practices among contemporary immigrants, leaving room for questions of multiple belonging with implications for everyday life. In recent years, especially with the advent Digital Broadcasting Satellite (DBS) technology, transnational media has become central in the consumption of news by immigrant populations, who tend to seek news very broadly. Extensive news media consumption, desire for more international news than found in the national television channels, and a critical stance towards the news from these channels, are also part of the picture. Temporary and permanent immigrants use the internet as a "bridgespace"', a virtual space that supports flows of people, goods, capital and ideas between the country of origin and the country of destination. 'Matrimonial' sites are but one example. Migrant networks play important roles for immigrants and their descendants. Ethnic minority communities develop online portals in which major dilemmas emerge, such as essentialism vs. fluidity of identities; universalism vs particularism; or recognition vs redistribution. Internet discussion forums are popular online meeting places for diaspora people. Here they are articulating race and culture in the public cyberspaces. One of the recurring topics in these discussions is the nature of their identity and how this relates to living overseas. Participants exchange personal experiences, political opinions, emotional and intellectual expectations about the outer and inner limits of identity and/or culture in their everyday lives. On the Web, 2nd generation immigrant youths orient themselves to the country where they live (bridging between cultures) as well as to their parents' country of origin (bonding of social capital).
Cyberspace of the Indian diaspora
As part of the e-atlas diaspora, the corpus is a first quantitative exploration of the presence of the Indian diaspora in the cyberspace. The problematic is organi- zed around three axis: first a definition of the Indian diaspora itself, as expressed on the Web and not by the Indian government; secondly a geolocation of the Indian diaspora in the cyberspace compared with its spatial distribution; thirdly a temporal approach to identify events that encourages its appearance in the global cyberspace. From the analysis of the corpus gather (1089 sites), it is clear that a variety of iden- tity claims are expressed on the Web. The structure of the Indian diaspora cyberspace highlights subnational groups, what qualitative analyzes have already identified, but unrelated to the websites of the Indian government.
This special issue on 'Return to Cyberia' is an attempt to evaluate the contemporary moment of new cultural and social forms influenced by rapidly evolving technologies in their first critical decade. It contains five case studies that highlight the range of transnational experiences -from temporary migrants and refugees to the second generation. The contributors address how and why transnational populations use particular communication technologies and the ways in which these practices are influenced by factors such as generation, history of settlement and dispersal, cultural values, class and access. In addition to addressing a wide variety of study populations, the case studies highlight the variety of available ICTs including email and the Internet, teleconferencing, telephones and mobile phones. Collectively, the articles address issues such as geographic identity and connectivity, different use patterns based on gender and generation, authenticity and representation on the Internet, methodology and the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics across transnational social fields.
Creating and inhabiting virtual places: Indian immigrants in cyberspace
The Internet is often appropriated by groups seeking to preserve, develop and celebrate their identities across space. Using an online survey of a group of immigrants to the United States from India as well as their American-born children, this article reveals that the Internet is utilised for overcoming separation at intra-and international scales, for creating a variety of transboundary networks and for constructing a sense of identity in virtual place. Yet the results also suggest that those individuals who use websites related to Indian culture, society, politics, history and news are distinct 'communicationally defined' sub-populations with regard to sex, generation and citizenship status. Indeed, 'indices of traditionalism' demonstrate key differences in the types of users of these virtual places.