Staying connected: Effects of online platforms on transnational family relations and social capital

Abstract

ABSTRACT By recruiting participants from the social-networking website InterNations, this qualitative interview-based research explores how Nikkei Brazilians maintain intimate family relations and cultivate interpersonal connections within their local communities via Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This research investigates the role of ICT and social media in maintaining transnational family ties and social capital in local communities for Nikkei Brazilian migrants in Japan. For Nikkei Brazilians who struggle with finding their own niche upon their migration to Japan, online communication with family and friends in Brazil helps provide emotional support that assists with acclimation to Japanese society. ICT and social media also serve as avenues for recent migrants to meet people based on similar interests and backgrounds. Regardless of ample online resources, some interviewees report that work-oriented lifestyles, cultural differences and language barriers make it harder to become acquainted with local Japanese communities. Interviewees’ backgrounds, such as their occupations, intended lengths of stay, and areas of residency in Japan, are examined to identify factors facilitating the expansion of connections with local communities in Japan while simultaneously sustaining healthy family relationships transnationally. Additionally, this research engages a previously unstudied group of expatriate workers, who have stable careers and have lived in Japan for more than a decade. Their particular experiences and perspectives provide new ways of approaching and framing Nikkei Brazilian migrant studies.