Social Media and Pre-Migration Information

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individuals. The frequency of the various media usage is based on the urgency of information needed and its role in the user’s life. Once it fits their interest, they are more likely to use it. For example, a person who has strong ties with family members and friends may be interested in using a platform like WhatsApp. Some are considered very informative on education and provide the most accurate information on the particular aspect, and others are more entertaining than others. This way, its uses are tailored toward the user's specific needs. A respondent elaborated more on this by saying:

I have Twitter. I think I’m more active on Twitter, and I cannot deny that Facebook has been

there for years, but I am not fully operational on Facebook. What I mean is I might check my Facebook once a week or twice a month. I think I can’t go away without checking my Twitter

account, and that’s because I find Twitter more academic-friendly and information-centered than Facebook. I get valuable information from Twitter.

Although respondents mentioned multiple social media platforms, I found out that they all had the most social media applications, including Facebook, the most common, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. These are common because they are the most widely used by people. The frequency of the social media use depended on how respondents perceived its usefulness based on previous experiences and the platform’s features it possessed. The usage of social media has also developed over time. Because new media are being created, people choose what fits their domain of interest.

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elaborated that people can also provide ideas or examine the opinions of others through social media.

Despite not all respondents having significant testimonies regarding social media’s influence on their pre-migration information, most of them found social media to be very relevant before their departure.

Social media helped them establish ties with native people, especially in Finland, to assist them in various things, including confirming what they had already found via social media and settling once they got to Finland. Their pre-migration information was made complete/satisfied after establishing those ties with others from their home country, which was interesting. It gave them much information on anything they wanted before their departure from their home country to Finland, including apartment search, ease of integration in the host country, and Finland’s security. Their precise information needed was searched on the various social media platforms, depending on where they considered they needed help to get the most relevant information (some of which were apartments, flight booking, education system, security, etc.). This is how a social media platform helped a respondent to acquire knowledge about the host country:

With the migration question, when I was coming to Finland, Facebook was beneficial because I didn’t know anybody studying in Finland, so after I got my admission when I was preparing, I

just went to Facebook. I just checked for pros in Finland, so I checked for people that were maybe Nigerians and ones able to get in touch with someone- a Nigerian student in Finland, so I was able to get some information from him, I think he also helped me in getting my apartment, he was accommodating because if there were no Facebook, I’d have to stay in a hotel or something.

Thanks to Facebook, I could communicate with someone, get some information, and get assistance.

Moving from one’s home country to settling in a completely different environment with varying backgrounds, cultures, and systems is not an easy transition. Everyone does their best to get all the necessary help to make settling overseas a more incredible experience and a more flexible one. However,

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one is not completely free of challenges, but acquiring much information is a tremendous advantage.

Not only did West African migrants in Finland use social media in searching for information regarding schools to attend and other educational activities before they traveled to Finland, they, at times, mainly searched for information about Finland’s educational system, the country’s rules, and regulations as well as the whole pre-departure and arrival process into the host country (Finland). They searched for routes, affordable housing, and short routes they would use in the future. This way, it wouldn’t surprise them when they arrived there because they were already used to most things. They needed not to ask people for directions as much whatsoever. Because they already felt digitally present in the future country of destination (Finland), they got used to almost everything they wanted to know before arrival. These made them feel present in the country before their timely/official arrival and fostered an easy migration process. A respondent shared her experience on how social media made her have more insights into all her migration processes before arrival:

Yeah, I think I got quite a few, especially with regards to…. I remember before coming, I watched videos of where to shop, where to get stuff to buy, what the whole town looks like, and how students are. I got videos of some of these things, so it gave me some information, premises, and what to expect because this was a new environment, and then I didn’t know anyone before coming, so I was just curious. I wanted to know more before coming, so I got to know all that through social media.

Social media is not entirely regarded as the sole source of some migrants’ pre-migration information.

People with whom migrants had ties within Finland played significant roles in their entire migration process and social media. They got a lot of information from these people they had connections with and pointed out the importance of relations in the whole migration process. Although some had already had some information from social media, these ties helped confirm the information they found on the various social media platforms. Most of the information they needed from their friends/associations in

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the host country (Finland) confirmed information that would help them settle well in the country. They were more particular about securing these things, such as accommodation and keeping more foreign ties with people from their home countries (not necessarily from the same town/city). They valued these people more by giving them this information because they were considered “countrymen” and trusted them to help them integrate. It’s good also to know that, despite the need for more of the migrants’

needs/information on pre-migration, most of their concerns were about integration into the host country, Finland. Thus, creating and maintaining ties with people from their home country is also relevant for migration. The following is a statement on how both friendship ties and social media helped inform a respondent:

Migrating here, I haven’t gotten my information from social media. It was through a friend's recommendation, but then having gotten the info I needed from the friend, I needed to look at what the data he’s sharing with me is good as well as it’s true and all that, so I kind of tried to verify information on social media and I realized that this is a positive thing and I have to apply for it. After applying, it also balled down to using social media to get information. For instance, you need information about applying or permits and all, and you’re at a place where you barely know anybody that has been to where you want to go, so the best thing to do is to go on social media and maybe search coming to Finland, what and what do I need? Social media brings those answers close to you. I think that was very helpful.

Social media played a significant role in most respondents’ pre-migration information. It provided respondents with all the necessary information before leaving for Finland. Such information was on the host country’s educational system, their way of life, their relations with international citizens/migrants, rules and regulations for migrants, and also, most importantly, accommodation and their ease of settling in Finland. Social media made it possible for them to get everything they needed to migrate. Things that wouldn’t have been possible to know from other people were accessed with accuracy and satisfaction.

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These positively affected them and played a significant role in their decision-making. I believe this way, and they were more than convinced to continue their migration process. One respondent shared his experience:

It (social media) gave me an idea of what to expect, especially concerning the room and where I would stay. Then it gave me a picture of the people I was going to meet, and I remember it also helped me figure my way around getting here. I remember watching videos about the airport and how it leads to the train station. I initially watched all those, and then it helped me come.

The migration journey for some people started with social media. It would not have been possible to even dream of migrating. There, on social media, they found these opportunities for relocation to the host country via various platforms. After follow-up, the migrants acquired more information needed to start their whole migration process. It is believed that, without social media, some people wouldn’t have been able to recognize the need to relocate to Finland. For an individual to take up this process, they need to be convinced so well, and this was precisely the type of information that social media provided to these migrants. The information or posts they saw as a breakthrough made them very curious to search for more information to support the positions they had seen. The statement below proves how social media impacted a respondent:

It’s funny to ask this question because I’m here because of social media, specifically Facebook.

In 2018, I had someone as a Facebook friend who was an uncle to a student I had taught before.

So he just posted about admissions being open at the time, so I just took the link he posted, I asked him a few questions, he answered them. From time to time, I had to go back to him and message him for some guidelines so I had heard of Finland, but I hadn’t read about Finland until I saw that post about opportunities here. So had it not been that post he put on Facebook, I wouldn’t be here.

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Along with ties with others, social media have fostered people’s migration ambitions. Even those who had no aspirations of traveling abroad were motivated to migrate due to the availability and accessibility of information via social media. People's comprehension, awareness, and interest in other locations could be advanced through geographically and socially enhanced online interactions with peers, relatives, and acquaintances, widening their geographic perspectives and bringing the world within. (Thulin and Vilhelmson, 2016.). Because personal knowledge of locations and their potential local benefits is essential in migration decision-making (Fischer and Malmberg, 2001), for example, by assisting in the search for an apartment or employment, social media have become increasingly valuable for facilitating the migration process (Komito, 2011; Dekker and Engbersen, 2014).