Social media, migration and xenophobia in the horn of Africa

Abstract

Migration is an indelible aspect of twenty-first-century life. This chapter examines one of the key elements, namely social media, that contribute to the reduction of social distance among the migration constituencies, including people smugglers and networks of family and friends, that are involved in the phenomenon. The push and pull factors of migration, as well as the challenges faced by migrants during the migratory process and at their destination, including xenophobia or Afrophobia, are also examined through the sociological prism of social media. This qualitative study focuses on Horn of Africa migration to South Africa, with special emphasis on Ethiopian migration. The findings indicate that social media play a pivotal role in inducing migration by way of the networks that facilitate it.