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Accepted Paper:
More Connected and Yet Further Disconnected: Precarious Solitude Among International Labor Migrants
Regnar Kristensen
(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
What happens when people have a computer as their closest supervisor at work and a smartphone as their companion during off-hours? I attempt to answer this question by examining international labor migrants in their workplaces, as well as mapping their general personal social networks.
Paper Abstract:
What happens when people have a computer as their closest supervisor at work and a smartphone as their companion during off-hours? I attempt to answer this question by examining international labor migrants in logistic centers in Copenhagen and Barcelona, as well as mapping their general personal social networks. My preliminary findings suggest that the capability of labor migrants to socialize with peers has been restricted. On one hand, computers have replaced middle-managers in their work. While these "computer-middle-managers" issue commands and communicate, they do not create a space for developing deeper social relationships with co-workers. On the other hand, smartphones have provided a solution to maintaining social connections without geographical limitations. For international labor migrants with irregular working hours, this serves as a welcome platform to stay connected with family and friends far away, yet it also appears to disconnect them from individuals in similar situations in their immediate proximity. This requires further analysis on the relational damages the technological advances have on precarious labor migrants.