I am Mexican, what is your superpower? Migration, political subjectivity and digital activism

In this paper I discuss the link between political subjectivity and digital activism among Mexican migrants. According to previous studies, digital media itself does not determine the participation, but provides to the engaged citizens spaces for that.

The study approached the cases of Mexican citizens living abroad (United States, Canada, Guatemala, Argentina, Spain, France, Germany and the UK), who have digital activism practices. The methodological framework was based on digital ethnography, ethnographies of participation and the biographical approach. Data collection included posts in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, an semi-structured interviews with Mexican migrants, to explore their experiences.

The findings confirm the relevance of digital media in the migrant experience, as it expands the access to the information and public expresion, enables the formation of social and activist networks, and contributes to the emergence of new kinds of political actors. Migrants experience a renewal interest in Mexican public issues as a product of different factors, such as the oportunity to rethink Mexico by comparing it with other countries, the concerns about their family and friends that still live there, and the work of nostalgia. In this way, the changes in their political subjectivity motivates them to do online activism about their country. Online activism of Mexican migrants is strongly linked to the sociopolitical context, their agendas change according to political events. The study of political subjectivity and digital activism among Mexican migrants contributes to the understanding of the public space and its reconfigurations in the global age.