Page 151 - Never Too Far Away? The Roles of Social Network Sites in Sojourners’ Adjustment

that many programs and policies are substantially geared towards sponsoring labor migration (Asis, 2008; O’Neal, 2004). For instance, the Philippine government promotes the use of communication technology as a marketable skill that could increase the chance of being hired abroad, and as a means of communication with distant loved ones (Medenilla, 2017). Communication technology could benefit sojourners and their families (Bernal, 2015; Madianou & Miller; 2012; Paragas, 2009). However, the liberating or empowering affordances of these technologies (e.g., in fostering and democratizing social connections) are ‘potentials’, and not guaranteed outcomes, that are subject to certain conditions and contexts (Aguirre, 2014; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001). The notion of a connected migrant has implications on the positive framing of labor export policies of the Philippine government — which belies the struggles and social costs of geographically fragmented relationships, as well as masks the government’s lack of clear resolve in pushing for genuine economic and social reforms that would make staying in the home country a viable choice (Asis, 2017; Pertierra, 2012).
Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
There were several limitations in this dissertation that need to be considered when interpreting the findings. Cognizant of these limitations, I would present in this section some possible theoretical and methodological considerations for future research.
Theoretical and conceptual limitations
In previous theories on sojourners’ adjustment, culture was a prominent concept (Berry, 2003, 2006; Kim, 2017; Ward et. al., 2001). Social interactions were often characterized as intercultural contacts, or interactions between people having different cultures (Berry, 2003, 2006). In previous studies, culture was often equated to one’s national identity (Ward et al., 2001). In this current dissertation, the concept of culture was not directly tackled. For instance, the definition of social interactions in Chapters 2 and 3, did not distinguish co-national, host- country national, and other nationalities. It is not clear in this dissertation as to which group of significant others in the host country (co-national, host-national, other nationalities) make a difference in adjustment. It has been shown that in the long-term, international students could benefit more from their friendships
General Discussion 149