Startseite Sozialwissenschaften The meanings of sharing: On Facebook sharing strategies among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK
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The meanings of sharing: On Facebook sharing strategies among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK

  • Kamil Filipek
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 27. März 2019

Abstract

Sharing on social media has become a daily routine for millions of users worldwide. Sharing transforms the experience of international migration as it enables migrants to maintain social relations and adapt to a new socioeconomic environment. But what does the term “sharing” mean for migrants active on Facebook? What are the contemporary meanings of sharing encouraged by Facebook’s affordances? This paper explores individual sharing strategies on Facebook among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK. On the basis of the material collected through in-depth interviews (N=17) with Poles who have settled in Germany and the UK, it is proposed that the contemporary meaning of sharing has five dimensions: commercial, altruistic, social, connective and addictive. Different compositions of these dimensions can be found in most sharing practices on social media. Following a critique of commercial sharing on social media, it is further established that selling and other profit-driven activities are rather well recognized by the interviewees. However, some of them engage in commercial sharing with no direct selling intention. The article emphasizes that sharing practices help Polish migrants adapt to their bicultural reality in Germany and the UK


Funding

Support for this research was provided by the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland, through Grant No. 2014/12/S/HS6/00390.


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Appendix: Coding procedure

Basic codes**

Families of codes

Categories/dimensions

Recommending_donors

Confirming_problems

Wrecker_identification

Networking

Connective_action

FB_call_for_help

FB_group_alarm

Ad_hoc_action

Spreading_information

Commenting*

Facebook_dm*

Online_mobilization

Fund-raising_FB

Gift_collecting_FB

Gift_sending_FB

Informal_structure

Checking updates

Sharing_redundant_information

Compulsion

Addiction

Cut_from_FB*

Software_problems

Aggression

Impressed_by_users

FB_surprise

Fascination

Cut_from_FB*

Fear

Finding_customers

Reaching_followers

Sharing_for_profit

Building_reputation

Sharing_knowledge*

Reaching_potential_employees

Facebook_dm*

Extra_job_on_FB

Reselling_goods

Profit_oriented

Selling/commercial

Helping_family

Helping_friends

Helping_others

Helping_Poles

Helping_others

Altruism

Legal_advise

Financial_advise

Pro_publico_bono

Sharing_information*

Sharing_knowledge*

Sharing_for_free

Giving_clothes

Giving_baby_clothes&accessories

Giving_money

Financing_online_campaigns

Buying_sth_for_others

Gift_giving

Contacting_family

Contacting_friends

Contacting_workmates

Stay_in_touch

Socializing

Refreshing_contacts_old_friends

Maintaining_new_friendship

Sharing_with_neighbours

Friendship

Commenting*

Sharing_information*

Sharing_good_news

Sharing_bad_news

Discussions

* Codes that belong to different families of codes.

** Unused codes are not listed.

Published Online: 2019-03-27
Published in Print: 2020-05-26

© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Heruntergeladen am 29.1.2026 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/commun-2019-2031/pdf
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