Transnational Care, Digital Literacy and Ageing in Emigration Areas: Eastern Serbia Case Study

The population of Serbia has a six-decade-long emigration tradition, and eastern Serbia (including Petrovac municipality) belongs to the oldest emigration zone with intensive labor emigration. In the vast majority of municipalities in this area, more than a third of its total population resides abroad, and the majority is low educated. Also, in the last two decades, census data record return migration of the population aged 60+. In addition, available census data on the population of Serbia abroad show that of the total number of dependents aged 60+ in the country whose dependent is abroad, 40% live in Serbia's oldest emigration zone. On the other hand, census data from 2022 show that digital literacy in this part of Serbia is significantly below the average for the entire country. This particularly applies to the population 60+ in rural areas.

Emphasizing the agency of family members in the ways of maintaining close relations between origin and destination, and the social infrastructure of migration, the aim of the paper is to gain deeper insights into the practices of maintaining transnational family relations and care through digital technologies and social apps in the area of high emigration and with a high proportion of the aged population (Petrovac municipality). In addition to the data of official statistics, the paper presents the findings of qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with returnees aged 60+ and their family members, as well as officials in the social protection service in the municipality of Petrovac. The paper discusses the main challenges and benefits that digital technologies provide to respondents in this regard, as well as the attitude of the municipal services towards the possibilities of providing assistance to elderly (returnee) fellow citizens in overcoming digital challenges in transnational communication.