Exploring the Impacts of Digital Media on Migration Perceptions and Decision-Making Between Nigeria and Canada
| dc.contributor.author | Asanbe O. Gaffar | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-14T13:43:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-01-14T13:43:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study explores the impact of digital media on migration perceptions and decision-making, focusing on the migration nexus between Nigeria and Canada. It examines how platforms like YouTube influence migration trends, perceptions, and decisions, addressing the broader implications of digital media in the Information Age. Guided by a multi-faceted theoretical framework, including Media Systems Dependency Theory, Migration Systems Theory, and Social Capital Theory, the research analyses how digital communication reshapes transnational ties, and reduces/amplifies informational barriers and migration flows. Using a sequential explanatory design, the study integrates digital ethnography and qualitative content analysis, with data sourced from relevant YouTube videos and viewer interactions. MAXQDA software facilitated a systematic analysis of themes and narratives emerging from the content. Findings reveal that digital platforms significantly mediate migration experiences by providing practical insights, reducing perceived risks, and fostering diasporic connections. In addition, findings corroborate Dekker and Engbersen’s (2014) assertion that digital media serve as informal migration guides, while also aligning with Carling and Collins’ (2018) observation of the interplay between aspirations and anxieties in migration. This study on the impacts of digital media on migration perceptions and decision-making highlights the dual sentiments evident in migration narratives, where exhilaration over opportunities is tempered by cautionary tales of cultural adjustment and bureaucratic hurdles. Furthermore, it underscores how digital media bridges formal migration systems with the personalized experiences migrants need to navigate these systems effectively. This research emphasizes the stratified nature of digital access, as highlighted by Afrobarometer (2018), revealing that middle- and upper-class Nigerians—enabled by financial stability and digital literacy—are more likely to leverage platforms like YouTube. The findings also reflect on how digital tools support integration, facilitating connections with home and host communities, offering guidance on housing and employment, and easing daily life in Canada. However, the study calls attention to the digital divide that perpetuates economic disparities, urging policymakers to prioritize digital literacy and equitable access to migration resources. The study contributes to academic discourse on migration and digital media by uncovering the complex interplay between technology, transnational networks, and diasporic identities, offering practical implications for policymakers, content creators, and migration communities. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ec.msvu.ca/handle/10587/2304 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Mount Saint Vincent University | |
| dc.title | Exploring the Impacts of Digital Media on Migration Perceptions and Decision-Making Between Nigeria and Canada | |
| dc.type | Thesis |