Social Media Usage, Tahriib (Migration), and Settlement among Somali Refugees in France

Technologies are omnipresent in our society, from mobile telephone systems to satellite television and Internet broadcasting, which shape the way we live, work, and interact. They have also transformed the experience of international migration, making it possible for migrants to maintain strong ties between the host society and the home country. In this article, we examine the precarious situation lived by Somali refugees in France, and we explore their uses of social media during tahriib or their migratory path and settlement in three French cities. Th e fi rst section discusses the method on which this fi eld study is based, that of critical and multi-sited ethnography. Aft er describing living conditions experienced by Somali refugees in France in the next section, the last section presents the findings of the field study. In doing so, the present research strives to fill a research gap by contributing to the advancement of knowledge on social media use by refugees. Les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) sont omnipresentes et la telephonie mobile, la television par satellite et internet faconnent notre facon de vivre, de travailler et d’interagir. Elles ont aussi transforme la migration internationale, rendant possible pour les migrants le maintien des liens forts entre la societe d’accueil et le pays d’origine. Dans cet article, nous examinons le sort precaire des refugies Somaliens en France et explorons leurs usages des medias sociaux pendant le tahriib ou trajet migratoire et l’installation dans trois villes francaises. Dans un premier temps, nous allons presenter la methode de l’ethnographie critique et multi-sites sur laquelle repose cette presente enquete de terrain. Il s’agit en dernier, apres avoir decrit les conditions de vie des refugies Somaliens en France, de presenter les resultats. Cette presente recherche tente de contribuer a l’avancement du savoir sur les usages des medias sociaux par les refugies.