If you ever doubted the powerful need for humans to communicate you need only read the stories of Syrian refugees and their quest to keep in touch with loved ones and to document their perilous journey. The refugees are using smartphones and other digital tools as a lifeline while they flee violence in their homeland.
A quick survey of the media coverage concerning the Syrian refugee’s use of cellphones finds two main themes. The first focuses on the idea that the Syrian refugees aren’t poor if they can afford cellphones. The second theme highlights how the refugees are using digital tools, apps, and Google Maps to improve their plight.
In the British Independent James O’Malley examines some of the xenophobic arguments and writes,
“…Just weeks ago the anti-immigration brigade were complaining that migrants are unskilled and just want our benefits. And now they’re arguing that migrants are too wealthy instead, implicitly arguing we should prioritise helping the poor.”
O’Malley continues,
“If you had to give up many of your possessions and live on $1850/year, after clothes and food, what would you buy next? It is hard to think of a more useful thing to own than a smartphone, especially if you’re fleeing your home.”
The current European refugee crisis is happening in a fully digital age where pocket-sized tools can broadcast messages around the world.
Patrick Witty’s October 8, 2015 article in Time finds “a smartphone is often the only item they carry.” The article details how the Syrian refugees use Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and other apps to communicate during the migration. Witty asks a 25-year-old from Aleppo, Syria who is traveling along the Hungarian border about the importance of being able to communicate with his family during his dangerous migration.
“Rabee Mohammed, a 25-year-old from Aleppo, Syria, who is traveling along the Hungarian border, doesn’t hesitate when I ask him which is more important, food or power: “Charging my phone.”
And then there is digital scrapbooking. At the end of his Time article Witty includes a quote from a conversation he has with Mehar Ahmed Aloussi, 30, from Damascus as he lands on the coast of Lesbos, Greece. Aloussi is part of a group of refugees who break out their smartphones and take selfies once they reach the shore. He states, “We want memories from the bad trip we had…When I go and settle down in another country, I want to remember my way.”
As a journalist and an academic I’m already picturing how this rich material will be the basis for future books, movies, articles, and dissertations. It is important to document the story of the Syrian refugees and to share how communication can lift the spirit in the darkest times.
(Image credit: CBC News)