The meanings of sharing: On Facebook sharing strategies among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK
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Kamil Filipek
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.
© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
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- Political TV interviews in Austria 1981–2016 – Structures and strategies through times of substantial change in media and politics
- Public television and anti-immigrant sentiments in Europe. A multilevel analysis of patterns in television consumption
- The meanings of sharing: On Facebook sharing strategies among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK
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- Exploring film genre preferences through taste cultures: A survey on contemporary film consumption amongst youth in Flanders (Belgium)
- Loved and feared in fortress Europe: Framing the European refugee crisis
- Book Reviews
- Treré, E. (2019). Hybrid media activism: Ecologies, imaginaries, algorithms. London: Routledge, 222 pp.
- Berry, D. M., & Fagerjord, A. (2017). Digital humanities: Knowledge and critique in a digital age. Cambridge: Polity Books, 248 pp.
- Powers, M. (2018). NGOs as newsmakers. The changing landscape of international news. New York: Columbia University Press, 240 pp.
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Titelseiten
- Articles
- Political TV interviews in Austria 1981–2016 – Structures and strategies through times of substantial change in media and politics
- Public television and anti-immigrant sentiments in Europe. A multilevel analysis of patterns in television consumption
- The meanings of sharing: On Facebook sharing strategies among Polish migrants in Germany and the UK
- News consumption of hard and soft topics in Spain: Sources, formats and access routes
- The effects of likes on public opinion perception and personal opinion
- Exploring film genre preferences through taste cultures: A survey on contemporary film consumption amongst youth in Flanders (Belgium)
- Loved and feared in fortress Europe: Framing the European refugee crisis
- Book Reviews
- Treré, E. (2019). Hybrid media activism: Ecologies, imaginaries, algorithms. London: Routledge, 222 pp.
- Berry, D. M., & Fagerjord, A. (2017). Digital humanities: Knowledge and critique in a digital age. Cambridge: Polity Books, 248 pp.
- Powers, M. (2018). NGOs as newsmakers. The changing landscape of international news. New York: Columbia University Press, 240 pp.