"Belonging" in the Digital World: A Case of Highly Mobile Individuals

Migration in recent times has been categorised in politicised (Hutter & Kriesi, 2022) and problematic ways (Dahinden, Fischer & Menet, 2021), reinforcing methodologically nationalist (see Wimmer and Glick-Schiller, 2002) perspectives on migration and often overlooking migratory patterns that do not neatly fit into one category. This study focuses on one such migrant group: highly-mobile migrants who have (or had) engaged in multiple transnational moves during their childhood and adolescence.

Dubbed “Third Culture Kids” (or TCKs) in select literature, these migrants move multiple nation-states with their parents/guardians from birth until the ages of 18/19. They are said to develop “a sense of relationship to all of the cultures while not having full ownership in any” (Pollock & Van Reken, 2009). Although their highly mobile lifestyles can often contribute to greater intercultural awareness, cultural and economic capital (Russell, 2011; Tanu, 2015), they can also face confusion regarding their identities and belonging (Fail, Thompson & Walker, 2004; de Waal, & Born, 2021).

Though TCKs exist in certain kinds of literature, they are largely absent from migration studies and sociological literature due to the essentialist tendencies of the term. Arguably, however, highly mobile migration warrants further discussion.

To mitigate the effects of a lack of belonging, many so-called “TCKs” often turn to the digital sphere to forge a sense of understanding and self (Hannaford, 2016). Employing a transcultural framework (Juneja, 2013; König & Rakow, 2016), this study draws from interviews with 16 to 40-year-old TCKs (those who are currently moving multiple times as well as those who moved when they were children/adolescents), to understand how digital platforms foster a sense of belonging whilst also being forms of access to previous “homes”. Lastly, this research looks at how digital spaces can create “communities of sentiment” (Appadurai, 1990) whilst normalising the experience of highly mobile migration.