Digital Diaspora and Social Capital

Abstract

The Internet and its applications, such as social media, have revolutionized the way stateless diasporas communicate transnationally. This new virtual, deterritorialized conversation between diasporic individuals contributes to building (digital) social networks which constitute resources and opportunities for diasporas, central to social and geographical mobility. This paper explores the role of the Internet in connecting diasporas without a home nation-state, encouraging subordinated people to participate in civic society and creating a collective source of digital social capital in the diaspora. I argue that the Internet, particularly social media, contributes to the growth of social networks, social capital and the community’s cultural and political participation within and across nation-state borders.