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AbstractOver the past decade, an expanding literature has explored the ways in which refugees rely on mobile communication technologies to stay in touch with a wider community and to access relevant information and services in their new places. Nevertheless, challenges linked to (a lack of) digital literacy and accessibility among refugees, and associated risks of technology use can negatively affect their empowerment and participation in a "mediatized" society. In light of the mutually shaping processes emerging between technology and society, this article provides an overview of studies focusing on the relationship between mobile communication practices and refugee lives under different circumstances. Using the concept of affordances as an analytic tool, this article looks into ways in which existing studies address the possibilities and vulnerabilities of mobile communications, the social conditions, and the agency of refugees in engaging with mobile technologies in the different temporal and spatial dimensions of their migration trajectories. Future studies should explore more collective processes and the power dynamics involved in the appropriation of mobile technologies by different migration actors.

El presente trabajo se centra en la problemática de la visibilidad generada por los telediarios brasileños y españoles por medio de la selección y producción de los mismos contenidos informativos que representan el espacio público de cada país. Por lo tanto, para el desarrollo de esta investigación realizamos un análisis comparativo entre las tendencias sociogeográficas en la producción del presente social enquiciadas en la realidad contextual de un Estado, en el caso de España, inserta en la Unión Europea y en el caso de Brasil, perteneciente al núcleo emergente de los países de América Latina. ; The current work approaches the problematic of the visibility produced by Brazilian and Spanish TV News Programs through the selection and production of the same news contents which represent the public space of both countries. Thus, for the development of this research we have entailed a comparative analysis on the sociogeographical tendencies in the mediatization of the social space registered in the contextual reality of a State, in the case of Spain, inserted in the European Union and in the case of Brazil, belonging to the emergent core of South American countries.

In this article, we explore the role that WhatsApp can play as a research tool for investigating the experiences of settling refugees. Messaging apps can help researchers collect data about people's everyday lives while also providing insights into processes that are difficult to study as they happen. The communicative affordances of messaging apps also facilitate spontaneous interactions in research and the flexibility needed when working with mobile groups of people, such as refugees. We build on our experience of interacting together with Venezuelan refugees through the Conexión Sin Fronteras (Connection Without Borders) WhatsApp group, which was designed by the researchers in the form of an intervention focused on building community among Venezuelans settling in the city of Boa Vista, Brazil. Our experience shows that data collection in WhatsApp allows researchers to obtain relevant insights into social support, relationship-building, and negotiations of rules in a group context. However, our research outlines challenges related to the varied engagement of participants in WhatsApp group chats and the difficulty for researchers to be always present during group conversations. Limitations to the use of WhatsApp in research with refugee populations also include restrictions in terms of internet capacity shaping the types of data participants choose to share. In this context, it is crucial to address barriers to access to connectivity and create opportunities to enhance refugees' literacy regarding data collection in digital spaces. We hope these findings will contribute to the development of inclusive methodological approaches using mobile apps in refugee settings.

Integration is a highly contested concept within the field of migration. However, a well-established view of the concept draws from underpinning migration and refugee theories, in which integration is seen as a dynamic, multidimensional, and two-way process of adaptation to a new culture and that takes place over time. Most studies have focused on the integration perspective of host societies, in particular how governments' understandings of belonging shape legal frameworks of rights and citizenship and their impact on the process of integration itself. With a focus on refugee migration to the Netherlands, this study analyzes the newcomers' perspectives and experiences of integration and information in the host society, as well as the role of digital media technologies and networks in mediating this relationship. Building on policies and refugee migrant interviews, the article sketches out the ongoing dynamics of social capital during refugees' adaptation processes in the country and puts forward a perception of the role of media in the integration act.

This editorial serves as an introduction to the Media and Communication thematic issue on "Refugee Crises Disclosed: Intersections between Media, Communication and Forced Migration Processes". This thematic issue presents an integrated look at forced migration through the spectrum of media studies and communication sciences. The eleven articles in this volume offer a comparative research approach on different focuses that involve cross-national, cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural frameworks, as well as multi-actor perspectives and methodologies. Altogether, the contributions featured in this thematic issue offer inspiring insights and promote innovative research on the way we perceive implications of media and communication in the field of migration. To conclude, a reflection on the presented research is also included.

Integration is a highly contested concept within the field of migration. However, a well-established view of the concept draws from underpinning migration and refugee theories, in which integration is seen as a dynamic, multidimensional, and two-way process of adaptation to a new culture and that takes place over time. Most studies have focused on the integration perspective of host societies, in particular how governments' understandings of belonging shape legal frameworks of rights and citizenship and their impact on the process of integration itself. With a focus on refugee migration to the Netherlands, this study analyzes the newcomers' perspectives and experiences of integration and information in the host society, as well as the role of digital media technologies and networks in mediating this relationship. Building on policies and refugee migrant interviews, the article sketches out the ongoing dynamics of social capital during refugees' adaptation processes in the country and puts forward a perception of the role of media in the integration act.

This study investigates the functions of news media in shaping acculturation experiences of new economic and refugee immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain. Focus group data revealed that consumption of host country news media was mainly connected to immigrants' deliberate strategies to assimilate the culture, politics and language of the host society, while exposure to transnational news was viewed in terms of strategies of integration in both countries. We also observed that participants' educational background and language skills combined with their perceptions of the host country's news have an impact on the use they make of news for assimilating and/or integrating into the host society. Finally, important sociopolitical conditions of the context influenced the ways participants use the news media in their process of acculturation.

In the wake of globalization discourses and the so-called "spatial turn," space and place have become central concepts in the social sciences and humanities and in migration studies in particular. Increasingly, and despite the widespread transformations in the ways we move and communicate today, place-making has gained important attention as a practice among diaspora groups, forced migrants, and refugees. To further advance insights in this field of research, the present study investigates the role of communication technologies in the place-making practices of the Yanacona indigenous community, which has been internally displaced in Colombia. In-depth interview data revealed that, for the Yanacona community, place-making is a collective process driven by cultural values of cooperation, collaboration, and solidarity. Building networks of support, protecting the community from disappearing, and restoring the collective identity are three practices that the Yanacona have adapted to make a place in the city of Bogotá. In this process, smartphones and social media are particularly relevant for many of the interviewees, who expressed both advantages and negative implications of these technologies for their community. Results also revealed how indigenous communities take on processes of social construction of technology, challenging the archaism discourse that hinders these communities, especially in the Global South. This study recognizes the relevance of paying attention to emergent indigenous media practices and networks in Colombia, arguing that they can be crucial for a community's cultural survival after forced migration. This article is part of the Global Perspectives, Media and Communication special collection on "Media, Migration, and Nationalism," guest-edited by Koen Leurs and Tomohisa Hirata.

This editorial serves as an introduction to Media and Communication's thematic issue "Media and Migration in the Covid‐19 Pandemic: Discourses, Policies, and Practices in Times of Crisis". This thematic issue presents a space for discussion on ways in which digital infrastructures and media have an impact on understandings and experiences of migration during the pandemic. The seven articles in this volume offer an integrated account of this issue from many empirical studies adopting a multi‐actor perspective while also involving different methodologies and cross‐cultural and interdisciplinary frameworks. The contributions featured in this thematic issue shed new light on the role of mediated processes and discourses around
migration and may be of assistance to understanding the opportunities and challenges of leveraging media technologies to promote inclusive, sustainable, and meaningful participation and representation of migrants beyond the pandemic

The article analyzes the experiences of Venezuelan refugees in the city of Boa Vista (Brazil) in exercising their communication rights in the context of social and digital inequalities aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This article outlines a perspective on digital inequalities from a rights-based approach, which focuses on granting the right to communicate to those who lack it rather than providing access to technology without highlighting the structural changes that are needed for promoting representation and participation of marginalized communities. Building on online and face-to-face interviews with 12 Venezuelan refugees, we identified three scenarios where inequalities regarding access and uses of ICTs are materialized: (a) reduction of digital communication interactions and affective networks due to the deterioration of connectivity in Venezuela and the suspension of local communication services provided by humanitarian agencies; (b) barriers to accessing information about rights and basic services, such as education, health, work, and shelter, given the reduction of communication channels and the closure of reference centers supporting refugees; and (c) increased exposure to fake news, scams, and hate speech in social media platforms and message apps, generating disinformation and enhancing risks of exploitation and marginalization of refugees.

The Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath challenged economies and societal sectors globally. Refugees in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Uganda, refugees significantly compose the marginalized urban population, dependent largely on the informal sector, and are severely affected by the crisis amidst limited social protection interventions. This article draws on key informant interviews with refugees and refugee-led organizations to examine the diverse ways through which social capital within refugees and host communities in Kampala enabled and shaped digitally mediated responses to sustain livelihoods, social wellbeing, and access to information and economic resources in the wake of the pandemic. The findings indicate that digitally enabled and mediated social networks and/or connections through bonds, bridges, and links are crucial in supporting refugees to cope with crisis effects. Networks of friends, families, and institutions are sustained by digital spaces that support the everyday lives of urban refugees through communication, social protection, livelihood continuity and recovery, and service improvisation during and after the crisis. The fragmented digital infrastructure, digital divide, limited government support, language barrier, and circulation of fake news challenged the utility of digital social networks in mobilizing support for refugees during the crisis. Digital technologies offer opportunities to strengthen social support and potentially mobilize refugee livelihoods in cities with fluid programs for displaced communities. The best practices around sustained multi-platform communications, technological innovations, data collection, and robust community engagement should be leveraged to garner the opportunities offered by technologies towards stimulating inclusive crisis responses.

The process of adjusting to a new country may carry important stressors for refugees. In the light of neoliberal policies, refugees are expected to become resilient in a local arrival infrastructure and perform a specific subjectivity based on gratefulness, adaptability, and digital sensitivity to successfully integrate. Drawing on a qualitative, in-depth case study with Syrians living in the Netherlands, this article explores the impact of the retreat of the welfare state and unfolding digital transitions on resilience tactics of marginalized people like refugees. While recognizing the systemic violence and historic trauma many refugees have experienced, we focus on how refugees are expected to and develop ways to become resilient. Three digital resilience tactics are discussed: digital social support, digital health, and digital identities. Social support was mainly sought from family, friends, organizations, and social media platforms, whereas refugees' engagement in meaningful digital practices aimed at fostering health promotion and identity management. Our fieldwork resurfaces paradoxes of digital resilience as described by careful emotional digital labor refugees engage in when communicating with families, the role of socio-cultural factors in shaping refugees' ICT (information and communication technology) adoption and use for health support, and negotiation of different and conflicting identity axes online. Finally, our study provides some insights into the implementation of more effective online and offline practices in the context of social and health support by host countries.

The Covid‐19 crisis and its aftermath challenged economies and societal sectors globally. Refugees in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the socio‐economic impacts of the Covid‐19 pandemic. In Uganda, refugees significantly compose the marginalized urban population, dependent largely on the informal sector, and are severely affected by the crisis amidst limited social protection interventions. This article draws on key informant interviews with refugees and refugee‐led organizations to examine the diverse ways through which social capital within refugees and host communities in Kampala enabled and shaped digitally mediated responses to sustain livelihoods, social wellbeing, and access to information and economic resources in the wake of the pandemic. The findings indicate that digitally enabled and mediated social networks and/or connections through bonds, bridges, and links are crucial in supporting refugees to cope with crisis effects. Networks of friends, families, and institutions are sustained by digital spaces that support the everyday lives of urban refugees through communication, social protection, livelihood continuity and recovery, and service improvisation during and after the crisis. The fragmented digital infrastructure, digital divide, limited government support, language barrier, and circulation of fake news challenged the utility of digital social networks in mobilizing support for refugees during the crisis. Digital technologies offer opportunities to strengthen social support and potentially mobilize refugee livelihoods in cities with fluid programs for displaced communities. The best practices around sustained multi‐platform communications, technological innovations, data collection, and robust community engagement should be leveraged to garner the opportunities offered by technologies towards stimulating inclusive crisis responses.

Em emergências buscam-se possibilidades de relativização do princípio da legalidade, considerando as relações de trabalho como um bem que merece ser preservado. O problema proposto é como e em qual medida deve-se observar o princípio da legalidade, orientador das políticas governamentais e do agir dos servidores públicos e aplicadores do direito, sobrevindo situação extraordinária. O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar qual escolha hermenêutica é adequada para interpretar a realidade surgida com a pandemia (Covid-19) e refletir sobre aspectos implicados no caso do sopesamento de princípios importantíssimos para o direito, os quais são balizadores e servem de freios e contrapesos da ação estatal, evitando o arbítrio. O método adotado é o analítico, com revisão bibliográfica e documental, principalmente de textos de leis e de atos normativos. Espera-se demonstrar a importância e atualidade do tema, bem como contribuir para a proposta sustentável de solução, que responda ao problema proposto, apontando os valores mais importantes a serem preservados. A conclusão é que o princípio da proibição da proteção insuficiente desponta como baliza, para que seja considerada pelo Estado a sua missão institucional de garantir a convivência social e o gozo dos direitos fundamentais a todos os cidadãos.