Paper short abstract:

Given the fact that migrants today are mainly acting as “media migrants” this paper wants to analyze migrants’ digital journeys from Africa to Germany, the practices of mobile phones and social media usage before, during and after their migration.

Paper long abstract:

When the Syrian refugee Rodin Saouan managed to make a selfie with Angela Merkel in September 2015 it had an enormous impact. Saouan sent the picture to his parents as a sign for his safety, the refugee selfies went around the world and Saouan as other refugees became celebrities, the icon of the refugee savior "Mama Merkel" was born.

The example does not only stand for the enormous effect of medially distributed images but shows as well that migrants today are mainly acting as "media migrants" (Hepp et al 2011).

Considering that digital media through their instant availability and viral distribution do function as distance bridges for "people on the move" (Massey et al. 1998), the paper wants to look at the role of social media as a tool for future-making as well as trust generators in migration decisions.

With the examples of migrants' digital journeys from Africa to Germany, the paper wants to unravel how social media offer and influence imaginations of abroad and in this way influence migration decisions as well as analyze the practices of mobile phones and social media usage before, during and after their journeys to Germany.

In tracing these digital journeys, the paper aims to shed light on the role of new media in contemporary African migration practices as well as the emerging "media cultures of migration".