Abstract
As the world shifts into a digitally connected and diverse network, online communities have become a pillar to supporting avenues of communication and preservation. Online communities are integral to cultural preservation and connection with home countries for diaspora, particularly the second and third generation immigrants in Australia. Without digital advancement, social media and social networking applications, diaspora would struggle to maintain communication avenues with family and friends in their home country and to foster new relationships with another diaspora in the host country. Cultural preservation of customs, language, heritage and traditions are be passed down with ease through online networks and social media to second and third generation immigrants within diaspora which can be transferred and continued in the host country, particularly as immigration increases worldwide. In addition, political advocacy has been revolutionised. Diaspora have granted power and a voice via social media to spread awareness around issues that impact their community. Without online communities, diaspora including second and third generation immigrants would not flourish and struggle to continue in cultural traditions and familial communication with the home country.
Introduction
Globalisation has transformed the way people interact with each other and perpetrated more fluid communities (Gunson, 2022). Immigration has created worldwide diaspora, which technology is allowing diaspora to stay connected and maintain social networks from the home country and to diaspora in the host nation (Alonso and Oiarzabal, 2010). Online communities are integral to cultural preservation and connection with home countries for diaspora, particularly the second and third generation immigrants in Australia. For diaspora, online communities have created a third place to connect and delve into their cultural heritage and fellow members of the diaspora that otherwise would have fostered difficulty. Within online communities, the prevalence of social media has enabled language, customs, traditions and familial communication to be exchanged and presented which second and third generation immigrants can utilise. These cultural factors are shared through diaspora, from home to host country facilitated via social media platforms that are accessible worldwide. Lastly online communities foster a platform for political advocacy for diaspora to inform and mobilise which can be observed throughout Australia with diaspora of Kurdish, Indian and Palestinian groups. Therefore, it can be deduced that online communities are essential to preserving culture of diaspora, particularly to second and third generation immigrants within Australia.
Diaspora and Online Community
The digital diaspora has become increasing prevalent during the 21st century. With immigration in the 20th century, migrants worldwide have been displaced from their culture and heritage, fractured over vast distances (Gunston, 2022). Before the digital age, diaspora relied on physical media such as photographs, letters and telephone calls to maintain a connection with their home country and instill a sense of belonging even whilst being in the host country (Ponzanesi, 2020). With the emergence of the internet, it allows for immigrants, including second and third generation, to sustain the bond of their homeland with instantaneous communication (Alonso and Oiarzabal, 2010).
Diaspora and their online community preserves a network of contacts from their homeland, allowing diaspora to interact and connect with social, religious or economic ideals that previously would have been unattainable (Laguerre, 2010). Online diasporas spread their culture and recreate identities, which otherwise can be lost (Ponzanesi, 2020). The instantaneous online connection to the home country allows for diaspora to maintain contact with family and relatives that have stayed in the home country or have immigrated to other host countries around the world (Ros, 2010). Second and third generation immigrants benefit from this as many may not have visited their home country and do not know or have any relationship with their relatives, using online applications such as WhatsApp and FaceTime to create meaningful connections, shrinking the proximity for immigrants (Ponzanesi, 2020). This reduces the disconnect and fracturing of diaspora, who often become susceptible to isolation in the host country (Ros, 2010).
Diasporic identity therefore is not confined by borders with technology aiding their sense of belonging (Ponzanesi 2020). Diaspora may lack community within their immediate area of their dwelling. Therefore, a distinct lack of physical community can be supplemented with an online community, providing a virtual third place (Gunson, 2022). A third place is an important social environment, distinct from home (first place) and workplace (second place), which is a location which people can build relationships and exchange ideas (Markiewicz, 2020). The innate desire for connection, particularly of familiarity, pushes diaspora to search for easily accessible communities which manifests in the form of a virtual third place (McEwan and Sobre-Denton, 2011). Online communities for diaspora become a third place to share identity, culture, beliefs and attitudes (Markiewicz, 2020). These spaces transcend national boundaries, allowing diaspora to connect even if they are not physically located near other members of the diaspora (McEwan and Sobre-Denton, 2011).
Social Media’s Role in Cultural Preservation
Social media has revolutionised how people connect globally, with communication channels that maintains a social relationship beyond the geographical location (Ariel and Avidar, 2015). This tool in its infancy in the early 21st century, has exploded in the 2010’s and continues to do so. Social media provides a virtual bridge between the host country and home country for diaspora, allowing for social networks to thrive (Ekwo, 2011). However, a shift from the home country can lead to a deterioration of the home country’s cultural practices as immigrants assimilate to the host country and their cultural practices, to the detriment of second and third wave diaspora.
Often, immigrants have a differentiated culture, hoping to immerse themselves in the host country. Particularly in the diaspora, second and third generation immigrants have begun to foster their own traditions and practices, often a blend of the host and home country, but not quite one or the other (Ros, 2010). Social media encourages the practices of the home country to thrive and be easily accessible to second or third wave diaspora who have not grown up in the home country. This occurs in conjunction with parents of second and third wave diaspora not necessarily encouraging the cultural traditions and connections due to their own assimilation with the host country.
Social media giant, Facebook, has facilities that enables diaspora to share their cultures. Specialty community groups/Facebook pages are used as an environment to connect with diaspora in your particular region/host country, such as “Croatians in Australia” (Fadhilah et al., 2024). Facebook groups are also used to share and preserve cultural traditions, particularly to the second and third wave such as “Croatian Recipes – Share with Us”, a public group with over 140k members. This Facebook page keeps the traditional cooking styles alive, with many immigrants and home country citizens posting to the group, extremely accessible for diapora to recreate. These virtual community groups allow diaspora to compare situations and relate to another that are fostering similar issues and experiences, otherwise previously unattainable without social media (Fadhilah et al., 2024).
Another facet of cultural preservation is the home language. Typically, language is a marker of ethnic boundaries, which is used to assimilate into the host country society (Alba et al., 2002). The learning and use of the host country’s language is an imposing factor of immigrants distancing/reduced use of the home country’s language (Alba et al., 2002). As a knock-on effect, the second generation becomes increasing more proficient in the host country’s language than the original immigrant parent. By the third generation, the home country’s language proficiency significantly decreases, with the use mainly of the host language (Alba et al,. 2002).
Social medias worldwide access provides a platform for second and third generation immigrants to connect with their home language and learn/relearn at minimal cost. Particularly social media site, YouTube, has allowed substantial amounts of content creators to build learning channels and instructional videos, specifically for languages for no cost (Jones and Cuthrell, 2011). Youtube channels such as “Spanish After Hours”, “Let’s Learn Croatian” and “Watch & Learn Hindi” are examples of thousands of creators that are accessible to diaspora online, particularly if the diaspora does not have any real life interaction with those from their home country and are not able to sustain any cultural connections.
Political Advocacy Facilitated by Social Media
Within Australia, a nation with cultural diversity, particularly from immigrants, has fostered many diaspora groups hailing from all corners of the globe (Arasaratnam, 2014). Diaspora utilise social media as a space for cultural exchange and preservation in hand with political engagements and advocacy. Social media allows for instantaneous availability of news, sharing and participating in political information (Hestres, 2017). Diaspora can coordinate their efforts efficiently, at a low participation cost, mobilising to gain traction which otherwise may not have been possible physically (Hestres, 2017). Particularly social media can be used to create awareness around an issue and can facilitate and supplement physical advocacy (Scott and Maryman, 2016). Diaspora can strengthen the relationship between supporters and open a two-way dialogue for communities to foster bonds and trust between each other (Scott and Maryman, 2016).
Social media enables diaspora to maintain cultural ties to their homeland and advocate those being subjected to persecution, as shown by Kurdish Australians. Kurdish Australians have a population of around 10,171, mostly concentrated in New South Wales, according to the 2021 census by the Australia Bureau of Statistics (Khalil, 2022). Majority of the Kurdish refugees were directed to Australia through the United Nations Humanitarian Program, which occurred due to cultural prosecution throughout modern day Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran (Yilmaz and Demir, 2023). Amongst the Kurdish diaspora, online communication has become key to their political mobilisation, particularly on social network sites such as Facebook (Ahmadian, 2024). Particularly for the Kurdish diaspora, they maintain their language, history and identity through social media to keep their culture alive as they are facing oppression and assimilation by Turkish authorities which is not only prevalent in Australia but worldwide (Ahmadian, 2024).
In addition to Kurdish Australians political advocacy, the Indian diaspora in Australia has utilised social media to advocate for and preserve culture. By 2021, the second largest overseas born resident group were Indians, with 721,000, which has contributed to the influx of cultural traditions and history of Indian diaspora prevelant in Australia (Prasad, 2024). The Hindu holiday which is an annual festival of light which is celebrated in India and globally with diaspora (Wise, 2019). Indian diaspora within Australia have used social media to promote and educate diaspora and their host countries citizens, in conjunction with online events and blogs (Deo, 2024). Using Facebook and Instagram accounts, The Hindu Council of Australia and IndiansinSydney have created content showcasing the cultural festival of Diwali and advocating for the festival to be recognised as a holiday/public holiday in Australia. Therefore, diaspora have a larger voice, with their movements gaining traction and putting pressure on the host countries nation to make change to solidify diaspora culture and heritage in the host country.
Another diaspora group instigating political advocacy in their host country using social media is the Palestinian diaspora group in Australia. Palestinian Australians who have experienced exile and displacement grapple with national identity and the identity of their host country which manifests towards mobilising for change and advocacy for their homeland (Cox and Conell, 2003). Since 1948, Palestinians have been displaced and oppressed through the Palestinian/Israel conflict, prompting worldwide advocacy for those suffering (Mock, Obeidi and Zeleznikow, 2014). Advocacy groups such as Australia Palestine Advocacy Network uses Instagram and Facebook with the handle @apan4palestine to mobilise diaspora and supporters to advocate for change and pressure government. APAN4Palestine posts fundraiser nights, rally dates, marches and information that is easily accessible and can spread information in a swift and low-cost way. The vast accessibility of social media supports political advocacy and gives voice and power to diaspora to create change.
In Australia, within a multicultural society, it is crucial for diaspora to use online communities to preserve, protect and share traditions, customs, heritage, language. Diaspora, particularly of second and third generation immigrants, have prospered via social media and in general the internet to create a bridge from the host to home country, maintaining a connection and understanding that otherwise would be severely difficult if those tools were removed. Political advocacy is enabled for diaspora and immigrants to mobilise and take action in the host country for change and cultural practices to prosper within the host country. Without online communities, diaspora and in extension second and third generation immigrants would not have the facilities to maintain cultural preservation and connection with their home country whilst in the host country.
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Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…