Webinar - Exploring digital inclusion, vulnerability and migration - A social lab framework

Date: 05.02.2026 16:00 - 17:00
Lecture / presentation
Keywords: Digital Inclusion, Digital Literacy, Migration, Inequality, Social Lab Framework
Format: online
Language(s): English
Event Fee: Free

Organizer(s):
Cigdem Bozdag , DigiMig Project team

The DigiMig project Team is excited to present the second edition of their Webinar series. In the webinar on February 5th, 16:00 CET Professor Panayiota Tsatsou from Birmingham City University will present her work ‘Exploring digital inclusion, vulnerability and migration - A social lab framework’. To attend, please register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GMfBiUQ8dLJEpHB85IPuEbJJTw9MzgjRBzH1B-ThQJc/edit Abstract: This talk introduces a novel social lab framework for researching digital inclusion among vulnerable communities, with a particular focus on migrants and ethnic minorities. Developed in response to the persistent marginalisation of these groups in both digital systems and research agendas, the framework is grounded in intersectionality and Foucauldian theory, and shaped by a decolonial epistemology that centres lived experience, power relations, and plural ways of knowing. Drawing on a 2024 study, I demonstrate how the framework enables a rich, multi-level exploration of the “digital good” across four life domains: health, social welfare, education, and social networking. Participants, including migrants and ethnic minorities, shared complex, often ambivalent experiences of digital technologies—as sources of empowerment, but also exclusion. Their recommendations called for culturally responsive support, inclusive design, and greater recognition of community-based knowledge and informal expertise. The findings highlight the value of the social lab as a participatory, interdisciplinary space for generating grounded insights and practical interventions. More broadly, the framework offers a new direction for digital inclusion research—one that brings the digital lives of vulnerable communities such as migrants and ethnic minorities from the margins to the centre of scholarly and policy attention. Speaker Details Prof. Panayiota Tsatsou (PhD, SFHEA) Professor in Media Diversity Co-Chair of the IAMCR Working Group ‘Inclusive Communication and PwDs’ Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity Department of English and Media Birmingham City University About the DigiMig Webinar Series The DigiMig Webinar Series aims to create a space for exchange and reflection on how digital technologies shape experiences of migration, belonging, and participation. By bringing together research from different disciplines and countries, the series highlights diverse perspectives on digital inclusion — from education and labour integration to gender and ageing. The series are a part of the VIDI-funded DigiMig project, carried out at the University of Groningen. More information about the project and the webinar series can be found on www.digimig.nl

https://digimig.nl/en/lecture-series/

Post created by: Cigdem Bozdag