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Accepted Paper:
Connecting Across Borders: Social Media in Drought-Related Diaspora Mobilisation
Fatima Dahir
(University of Copenhagen and University of Nairobi)
Paper short abstract:
Social media platforms have the potential to transform social interaction and networking for humanitarianism. These platforms have enabled diverse networks in Somalia and the diaspora to mobilise resources during a crisis.
Paper long abstract:
Social media has reshaped the humanitarian assistance scene by providing discursive platforms for community mobilisation and fundraising. The Somali diaspora utilizes platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp to mobilise to fundraise during drought in Somalia. In this study, I use data from ethnographic fieldwork in Eastleigh to investigate how socio-technical systems shape the mobilisation and distribution of diaspora remittances to drought-affected populations in Somalia. More specifically, it analyses the role of Facebook and WhatsApp in mobilising and distributing drought-related diaspora remittances from Eastleigh to Somalia. Leveraging data from WhatsApp and Facebook-based mobilisations, I demonstrate the heterogeneity of platforms used among the different Somali diaspora actors during drought. Most WhatsApp groups are based on regions or kinships whereas Facebook mobilisation is handled by influential people with large following such as sheikhs are open to the public. WhatsApp has pervaded borders, some sort of convergence, and geographical borders are no longer relevant.