IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v13y2024i7p361-d1429839.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Inclusion of Gen Z Ukrainian Refugees in Lithuania: The Role of Online Social Networks

Author

Listed:
  • Isabel Palomo-Domínguez

    (Faculty of Human and Social Studies, Mykolas Romeris University, LT-08303 Vilnius, Lithuania)

  • Jolanta Pivorienė

    (Faculty of Human and Social Studies, Mykolas Romeris University, LT-08303 Vilnius, Lithuania)

  • Odeta Merfeldaitė

    (Faculty of Human and Social Studies, Mykolas Romeris University, LT-08303 Vilnius, Lithuania)

Abstract

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Lithuania, a country of barely 3 million inhabitants, has welcomed more than 85,000 refugees, mainly minors and young people. This research focuses on the youth segment, members of Gen Z, which exhibits a marked gender bias, as the majority are women. The purpose of this study is to determine the role played by online social networks in the process of social inclusion in the host community. Methodologically, this research conducts a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with open code content analysis. The results point to changes in their behavior as social media users, such as using new online social networks, and greater attention to practical topics such as knowing necessary services and leisure opportunities in their new environment. Among the conclusions, the positive effect of online social networks in the social inclusion process of these young refugees stands out: being members of the local virtual community facilitates new social interactions in the physical world of the host country.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Palomo-Domínguez & Jolanta Pivorienė & Odeta Merfeldaitė, 2024. "Social Inclusion of Gen Z Ukrainian Refugees in Lithuania: The Role of Online Social Networks," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:13:y:2024:i:7:p:361-:d:1429839
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/7/361/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/7/361/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kaivan Munshi, 2014. "Community Networks and the Process of Development," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 49-76, Fall.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lnu,Anukriti & Herrera-Almanza,Catalina & Karra,Mahesh Venkat, 2022. "Bring a Friend : Strengthening Women’s Social Networks and Reproductive Autonomy in India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10107, The World Bank.
    2. M. A. Mabasa & J. C. Makhubele & M. M. Kwakwa & F. K. Matlakala & P. Mafa & T. V. Baloyi & D. T. Masilo & N. E. Rabotata, 2021. "The survival interactional strategies toward sustainable livelihoods amongst the migrants in the rural areas of Limpopo Province," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 24(1), pages 729-739, October.
    3. Attanasio, Orazio & Meghir, Costas & Mommaerts, Corina & Zheng, Yu, 2025. "Growing apart: Declining within- and across-locality insurance in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    4. Ruochen Dai & Dilip Mookherjee & Kaivan Munshi & Xiaobo Zhang, 2024. "Community Networks, Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2406R1, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    5. Mosse, David, 2018. "Caste and development: Contemporary perspectives on a structure of discrimination and advantage," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 422-436.
    6. Ronak Jain & Vatsal Khandelwal, 2024. "Silent networks: the role of inaccurate beliefs in reducing useful social interactions," ECON - Working Papers 455, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    7. Margherita Comola & Carla Inguaggiato & Mariapia Mendola, 2021. "Learning about Farming: Innovation and Social Networks in a Resettled Community in Brazil," Development Working Papers 468, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    8. Thomas, Daniel Robert, 2024. "The effects of exposure to violence on social network composition and formation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    9. Yuyu Chen & Ginger Zhe Jin & Yang Yue, 2024. "Peer Migration in China," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 86(2), pages 257-313, April.
    10. Gupta, I. & Veettil, P.C. & Speelman, S., 2018. "Caste, Technology and Social Networks," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277048, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Yuanyuan Chen & Le Wang & Min Zhang, 2018. "Informal search, bad search?: the effects of job search method on wages among rural migrants in urban China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 31(3), pages 837-876, July.
    12. Basu, Arnab K. & Chau, Nancy H. & Lin, Gary C., 2022. "Migration Gravity, Networks, and Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 15808, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Dagnelie, Olivier & Mayda, Anna Maria & Maystadt, Jean-François, 2019. "The labor market integration of refugees in the United States: Do entrepreneurs in the network help?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 257-272.
    14. Samuel Bazzi & Arya Gaduh & Alexander D. Rothenberg & Maisy Wong, 2019. "Unity in Diversity? How Intergroup Contact Can Foster Nation Building," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(11), pages 3978-4025, November.
    15. José Lobo & Charlotta Mellander, 2020. "Let’s stick together: Labor market effects from immigrant neighborhood clustering," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(5), pages 953-980, August.
    16. Samuel Bazzi & Martin Fiszbein & Mesay Gebresilasse, 2017. "Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism†in the United States," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2018-004, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    17. Manchin, Miriam & Orazbayev, Sultan, 2018. "Social networks and the intention to migrate," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 360-374.
    18. Afridi, Farzana & Dhillon, Amrita, 2022. "Social Networks and the Labour Market," IZA Discussion Papers 15774, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Afridi, Farzana & Dhillon, Amrita & Li, Sherry Xin & Sharma, Swati, 2020. "Using social connections and financial incentives to solve coordination failure: A quasi-field experiment in India's manufacturing sector," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:13:y:2024:i:7:p:361-:d:1429839. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.