Digital Kinship and Fragmented Intimacies: Reconfiguring Family in Transnational Migrant Networks
In the era of unparalleled mobility and global interconnectedness, migrants negotiate kinship relations across distance through digital technologies. This article explores how information and communication technologies produce "digital kinship," enabling connection while simultaneously generating fragmented intimacies. Drawing on transnational migration theory, network theory, and the sociology of emotions, the study examines how digital mediation reshapes care, obligation, and emotional proximity. It highlights the dual nature of digital kinship—facilitating relational continuity while also producing affective strain, inequality, and tension—ultimately reconfiguring the boundaries and meanings of family in the digital age.
Digital Kinship, Transnational Migration, Fragmented Intimacy, Mediated Care, Emotional Labour, Family Networks, Communication Technologies, Diaspora Studies
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