Δίκτυα χωρίς σύνορα: ΤΠΕ και μεταναστευτικές διαδρομές

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers interact in a digital environment, how this digital communication can make territorial borders "invisible", and how in some cases this process is obstructed. Following the narrative that border is a networked and fluid process, rather than a fixed line (Delanty 2006) digital technologies should remain critical for the ethics of the digital passage, as they go beyond the territorial border policies. In the light of the so-called "European migration crisis" and considering the increased use of new technologies, refugees and migrants are able to rely on digital networks to both communicate with distant family members or others in order to locate the resources they need. It is worth noting that the success of refugees in making it to safe places is based on access not only to a safe physical place but also on the digital infrastructure. The findings of this study were collected through qualitative interviews conducted in order to elicit experiences from the migrant population. The research findings though demonstrate that social media and ICT used by refugees can indeed make territorial borders permeable, but concurrently create new forms of surveillance and appropriation during the border crossing. The research results also show that digital communication can make refugees and migrants more vulnerable, as it increases their exposure to danger and to the possibility of exploitation and abuse. Lastly, the analysis provides evidence firstly that digital infrastructure is perceived as a matter of border security and secondly that the growth of securitized routes involves surveillance where ITC cannot aid migrant population in the border crossing.