A Whole New World: Migrant Journeys Through Digital Information Landscapes

Migrants moving across national boundaries are experiencing a transition—one that requires them to readapt and reestablish themselves in new information environments. In experiencing a transition, migrants need information on the process of the move and on life in their new country. Navigating new information environments can prove difficult. Usually, that information will be structured and presented differently than ‘at home’: migrants need to adapt to a whole new digital environment, and often do so while retaining informational ties to home. Language, bureaucratic, and emotional barriers make it difficult for migrants to find the information they need in their new environment; and instead push them to rely on familiar information sources from their home countries that contain less specific and relevant information. However, migrants also bring their unique information experiences and habits to their new digital environments. The exposure to multiple digital environments can be a strength and better equip migrants to deal with different types of information. This paper examines both the barriers migrants face and the skills they use to navigate new information landscapes. It makes a case for considering migrants as a specific user group for many information tools and resources, when user testing, and makes suggestions for further research that can be done to support and learn from migrants. Migrants are an under-studied and under-considered group in the CHIIR community, and this paper is a call to action to address that gap.