Access to affordable, frequent and high-speed internet has facilitated communication among individuals and made media platforms ubiquitous in daily life, regardless of the geographical location of their users, thus enabling transnational communication and exchange. Young people, teenagers and even children appear to be particularly receptive to the pervasiveness of digital media in their daily lives. Little is known, however, about their use of media to access people and content across national borders. This special issue looks at the transnational aspect of young people’s digital media consumption. Particularly social media have made digital networks available (cf. Haythornthwaite, 2002) through which both practical information and social practices, values, and symbols can circulate without much restrictions, contributing to the emergence of “transnational social spaces” (Pries, 2001). Amongst other aspects, these platforms can support young migrants in finding information and resources to access education abroad (Jayadeva, 2020), lead to the dissemination and integration of transnational cultural products in young people’s media consumption habits (Jin, 2018), or contribute to the maintenance of transnational affective connections among young people (Anschütz, 2022).
This special issue explores further dimensions of transnational social spaces created, maintained or used by young people through digital media. We welcome original research articles, theoretical contributions, case studies, and methodological explorations that investigate various aspects of transnational youth spaces in digital media. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Children’s and Adolescents’ Experiences in Digital Transnational Social Spaces – How do children and adolescents engage with transnational digital spaces? What are the impacts of digital media on their transnational interactions, identity formation, and social relationships? What are the opportunities, risks and challenges of these transnational spaces on digital media?
• Migration and Digital Transnational Social Spaces How are young migrants’ social ties maintained and transformed across geographical boundaries through digital communication platforms? How do digital technologies facilitate (or not) communication and support among young migrants? What is the impact of unequal access to digital infrastructures (e.g. being able to afford devices and fast internet) in the transnational lives of young migrants?
• Education and Digital Transnational Social Spaces How are digital transnational social spaces used for learning, knowledge sharing, and educational collaboration among young people? How do young people consume and interpret information gathered in digital transnational social spaces?