Dissertation

How do various members of a rural-urban migrant families use and acquire ICTs to support their everyday lives to become members of the city, create a sense of belonging to a community, and to make the urban space their new home?

I will investigate the role of telecommunication policies (that pertain to pricing and usage), geographical factors (move from the home village, location of internet cafes, daily transportation), access to technology (cellphone and  internet), and social connections in shaping the inter-personal communication patterns of migrant families in Wuhan, China.

The breakdown:
What does a rural to urban migrant family in China look like?
What kind of strategies to families adopt to become members of their urban home?
How do urban migrant families acquire ICTs?
How do members of an urban migrant family use  ICTs to manage their social connections?
How successful are urban migrant families at using ICTs to navigate and negotiate their new city vis-a-vis their desire to become members of Wuhan, China?
How do migrants use ICTs to gain access to social resources and information in the city? (for example, education, healthcare, pleasure, transportation, legal rights, shopping and place of residence)
What are the emergent practices and emotions that are formed to maintain social connections both to back home, but also to those in the host city?
How do ICT policies (in pricing and usage mandates) affect the use of digital tools?
How do parents and children make decisions about technology usage?