The Negotiation of Cultural Identity in the Content Production of Migrant Creators in Digital Environments

Victoria Mensah
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Victoria Mensah: Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development: Kumasi Ghana

Global Digital Culture & Communication, 2024, vol. 1, 2

Abstract: The expansion of digital platforms has profoundly transformed the processes of construction and negotiation of cultural identities among migrant populations. In particular, migrant content creators use social media as spaces for expression, cultural mediation, and identity positioning before transnational audiences. This study analyzes how migrant creators negotiate their cultural identity in digital environments, considering the dynamics of cultural hybridity, communicative strategies, and the influence of visibility algorithms. A mixed-methods methodological approach was adopted, combining digital content analysis, semi-structured interviews, and descriptive statistical analysis. The corpus consisted of 150 posts created by migrant content creators active on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, complemented by interviews with 20 content creators from diverse migratory contexts. The results reveal three predominant strategies of identity negotiation: (1) cultural hybridity through the combination of cultural elements from both origin and host contexts; (2) the performativity of cultural authenticity to strengthen connections with diasporic communities; and (3) strategic adaptation to platform algorithms and the expectations of global audiences. Furthermore, the data show that digital content production facilitates the creation of “third cultural spaces” where identities are continuously reconfigured. The discussion suggests that digital environments simultaneously function as spaces of cultural empowerment and as platform-mediated structures that shape the visibility of migrant identities. In conclusion, identity negotiation in digital environments constitutes a dynamic, relational, and multiscalar process that redefines contemporary forms of cultural belonging in contexts of global mobility.

Keywords: Cultural identity,; digital migration,; migrant content creators,; social media,; cultural hybridity,; digital communication. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gdc:gdccmm:v:1:y:2024:id:2

DOI: 10.65835/gdcc.2024.1.2

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