Paper short abstract:

This presentation offers intimate experiences of Sahrawi refugee diaspora and the implication of digital transnational gossip in their everyday media usage practice. Through a social media ethnography, this proposal analyzes the relevance of gossip as a transnational mechanism of community control.

Paper long abstract:

Gossip is a relevant challenge in multi-sited transnational fields due to the continued exchange of information between those who move and those who stay. According to recent studies, the connection of gossip, with the maintenance of the unity, morality and values of groups beyond borders, have reinforced certain mechanism of control over women due to their role as protectors of community values and tradition. In this sense, digital technologies, through their immediacy, have increased the spread of information beyond boundaries which involved dissemination of information between communities who may be separated. This research analyzes the implication of digital transnational gossip as one element that articulates social norms and values that reinforce the sense of belonging to a certain community. Looking at the Sahrawi refugee diaspora, this research describes the consequences women face when they are objects of gossip on Facebook, while at the same time pointing out the different strategies taken to subvert community gender norms. Using different profiles, restricting the audience with Facebook's privacy settings, or not posting photos are some of the individual strategies used to limit the impact of digital transnational gossip in everyday media usage. This research draws evidence from ongoing social media ethnography with Sahrawi women in Spain and Mauritania which involves interviewing users and collecting relevant digital material in blogs, social media (Facebook), and face-to-face encounters or events. To sum up, this presentation tries to understand the relation between migration and connectivity to offer situated digital intimate experiences in an interconnected world.