How does social media shape the migration experience of students far from home? What role do platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram play in building identity, community, and survival strategies abroad?
This thesis explores these questions through the eyes of Pakistani students living and studying in Germany — a growing yet under-researched group in both migration and media studies.
In today's digital age, migration is not just physical. It’s emotional, cultural, and increasingly digital. Social media has become a lifeline for international students: a way to stay connected to family, share daily struggles, access critical information, and even build a sense of belonging in unfamiliar societies.
This research presents an empirical case study based on a mixed-methods approach — including both a survey and in-depth interviews with Pakistani students across Germany. Grounded in Media Dependency Theory, the study investigates how social media is used not only for communication, but also for integration, emotional support, and identity negotiation.
What emerges is a powerful picture of how diaspora students use digital platforms strategically: to manage loneliness, navigate bureaucracy, and maintain cultural roots — all while adapting to academic and social life in Germany. Students form digital communities where they share everything from housing tips to recipes to mental health struggles.
The findings show that social media is not a distraction for migrants — it’s a tool of survival, adaptation, and transformation. The thesis also offers insights into the tensions of dual belonging, digital dependency, and the limits of online support systems.
This study is for researchers, students, and practitioners working in migration studies, media and communication, diaspora communities, and international education. It’s also for anyone curious about the everyday lives of migrants in the digital age — and how our phones have quietly become our most trusted migration companion.
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- Anosh Samuel (Author), 2023, The Role of Social Media in Migration. An Empirical Study of Pakistani Students in Germany, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1595585
