Social inclusion is an important component of any democratic society. Gains in social inclusion are associated with improved mental and physical health at the personal level, and greater satisfaction and cohesion at the societal level (e.g., Waddell and Burton 2006). While relevant across all populations, the issue of social inclusion has emerged as particularly critical in light of the current refugee crisis.

In the context of refugees, the notion of social inclusion encompasses the goal of creating opportunities to navigate, integrate, and participate in the new environment. In this context, social media can provide a platform for meaningful dialogue between separate social groups to scale the impact of integration efforts and facilitate access to information relevant to social inclusion (Díaz Andrade and Doolin 2015). Indeed, the arrival of social media and its popularity has given hope to improve social inclusion across all segments of the population. 

Yet, previous research offers little insight into the process by which social media can contribute to greater social inclusion among refugees (Díaz Andrade and Doolin 2015). Therefore, the goal of our research is to examine the role of social media as a driver of social inclusion in the context of refugees. The following research questions are of particular importance: how does the use of social media influence social inclusion processes? How can digital solutions be used to ensure the social inclusion of refugees? How can social media be used to better understand and bridge cultural differences between refugees and the native population?

Sources 

Waddell, G., & Burton, A. K. (2006). Is work good for your health and well-being?. The Stationery Office. 

Diaz Andrade, A. D., and Doolin, B. 2016. “Information and Communication Technology and the Social Inclusion of Refugees,” MIS Quarterly (40:2), pp. 405-416. 

Preliminary work 

AbuJarour, S., Krasnova, H. (2017) “Understanding the Role of ICTs in Promoting Social Inclusion: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Germany”, In: Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2017), Guimarães, Portugal. 

AbuJarour, S., Krasnova, H., Díaz Andrade, A., Olbrich, S., Tan, C.-W., Urquhart, C., Wiesche, M. (2017) „Empowering Refugees with Technology: Best Practices and Research Agenda”, Panel Statement, European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2017), Guimarães, Portugal. 

AbuJarour, S. Krasnova, H., Wenninger, H., Fedorowicz, J., Tan, C.-W., Urquhart, C., Venkatesh, V., (2016) “Leveraging Technology for Refugee Integration: How Can We Help?”, Panel Statement, International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2016), Dublin, Ireland.