Networked Diasporas

Social Networking Sites (SNS) have emerged as popular online platforms for people to make "Friends" online, by not only mapping one''s offline connections online but also creating connections with new people based on similarity of interest. Simultaneously, globalization has led to increasing migration resulting in the creation of the diaspora, who find themselves away from the familiar spaces and people of their homeland and are encouraged to look for new ways to create communities. In this context, the presence of numerous diasporic groups on social media platforms like Orkut and Facebook indicate their growing popularity with the diaspora. This book offers a virtual ethnography of the Indians in London (IIL) community on Orkut, exploring the significance of such online communities for diasporic individuals and examines their online practices. Using qualitative methods, the book examines if these online congregations of diasporic Indians can indeed be correctly understood as "communities" and if SNS emerge as an alternative platform for diasporic members to connect with others who share similar circumstances and aspirations.