Social Media, Digital Resilience, and Knowledge Sustainability: Syrian Refugees' Perspectives
Abstract
This study examines the role of social media in enhancing digital resilience and knowledge sustainability among Syrian refugees. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research combines qualitative and quantitative methods, surveying Syrian refugees in Jordan and Türkiye to explore how social media assists them in accessing information and knowledge resources. The findings reveal that social media plays a crucial role in developing social networks, increasing awareness of events in Syria, and connecting refugees with support systems, helping to combat social isolation and foster a sense of belonging. Additionally, digital tools enable refugees to navigate host country services, learn about their rights, and seek assistance from local and international organizations. The study concludes that social media is an essential tool for enhancing refugee resilience, providing a platform for advocacy, self-reliance, and digital empowerment. Strengthening refugees' access to digital tools can further support their long-term integration, skill-building, and livelihood opportunities.
Full text article
References
Alarab. (2015). When the image of a Syrian refugee gives a new life. Alarab. Retrieved from https://cutt.us/T7KEF
Aldamen, Y. (2017). The role of print and electronic media in the defense of human rights: A Jordanian perspective. Jordan Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.12816/0040694
Anderson, S., & Daniel, M. (2020). Refugees and social media in a digital society: How young refugees are using social media and the capabilities it offers in their lives in Norway. The Journal of Community Informatics, 16, 26–44. https://doi.org/10.15353/joci.v16i0.3473
Annarelli, A., & Palombi, G. (2021). Digitalization capabilities for sustainable cyber resilience: A conceptual framework. Sustainability, 13(23), 13065. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313065
Bryman, A. (2007). Barriers to integrating quantitative and qualitative research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 8–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/2345678906290531
Ball-Rokeach, S. J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976). A dependency model of mass-media effects. Communication Research, 3(1), 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365027600300101
Campbell, D. A., Lambright, K. T., & Wells, C. J. (2014). Looking for friends, fans, and followers? Social media use in public and nonprofit human services. Public Administration Review, 74(5), 655–663. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12261
Cogo, D., & Zanforlin, S. (2020). Media, mobility and citizenship in the global capitalism context: Reflections on the trajectory of a Syrian refugee. Contemporânea, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.9771/contemporanea.v17i1.25222
Cooper, G. (2015). Hurricanes and hashtags: How the media and NGOs treat citizens' voices online in humanitarian emergencies. Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 6(2), 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1386/iscc.6.2.233_1
Crawley, H., & Skleparis, D. (2018). Refugees, migrants, neither, both: Categorical fetishism and the politics of bounding in Europe's "migration crisis." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(1), 48–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1348224
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage Publications.
Dekker, R., & Engbersen, G. (2014). How social media transform migrant networks and facilitate migration. Global Networks, 14(4), 401–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12040
Dekker, R., Engbersen, G., & Faber, M. (2016). The use of online media in migration networks. Population, Space and Place, 22(6), 539–551. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.1938
Denscombe, M. (2008). Communities of practice: A research paradigm for the mixed methods approach. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 2(3), 270–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689808316807
Diminescu, D. (2020). Researching the connected migrant. In K. Smets, K. Leurs, M. Georgiou, S. Witteborn, & R. Gajjala (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Media and Migration (pp. 74–78). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526476982.n12
Easton-Calabria, E., & Omata, N. (2018). Panacea for the refugee crisis? Rethinking the promotion of "self-reliance" for refugees. Third World Quarterly, 39(8), 1458–1474. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2018.1458301
Fadhlia, T. N., Sauter, D. A., & Doosje, B. (2022). Adversity, emotion, and resilience among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands. BMC Psychology, 10(1), 257. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00963-w
Gerber, E. M., & Hui, J. (2013). Crowdfunding: Motivations and deterrents for participation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 20(6), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1145/2530540
Gough, H. A., & Gough, K. V. (2019). Disrupted becomings: The role of smartphones in Syrian refugees' physical and existential journeys. Geoforum, 105, 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.05.012
Gyan, C., Chireh, B., Chuks-Eboka, N., & Senior Yeboah, A. (2023). Reconsidering the conceptualization of resilience: The experiences of refugee and immigrant youth in Montreal. Applied Research in Quality of Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-023-10154-3
Hammond, S. P., Polizzi, G., & Bartholomew, K. J. (2022). Using a socio-ecological framework to understand how 8-12-year-olds build and show digital resilience: A multi-perspective and multimethod qualitative study. Education and Information Technologies, 28(4), 3681–3709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11240-z
Hathaway, J. C. (2021). The rights of refugees under international law. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108863537
Hutchinson, M., & Dorsett, P. (2012). What does the literature say about resilience in refugee people? Implications for practice. Journal of Social Inclusion, 3(2), 55–78. https://doi.org/10.36251/josi55
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1973). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1086/268109
Katz, E., Gurevitch, M., & Haas, H. (1973). On the use of the mass media for important things. American Sociological Review, 38(2), 164–181. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094393
Kwok, A. H., Doyle, E. E. H., Becker, J., Johnston, D., & Paton, D. (2016). What is 'social resilience'? Perspectives of disaster researchers, emergency management practitioners, and policymakers in New Zealand. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 19, 197–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.08.013
Marlowe, J. (2019). Social media and forced migration: The subversion and subjugation of political life. Media and Communication, 7(2), 173–183. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i2.1862
Madianou, M., & Miller, D. (2013). Migration and new media: Transnational families and polymedia. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203154236
Masten, A. S. (2014). Global perspectives on resilience in children and youth. Child Development, 85(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12205
Merisalo, M., & Jauhiainen, J. S. (2021). Asylum-related migrants' social-media use, mobility decisions, and resilience. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 19(2), 184–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2020.1781991
Mezirow, J. (2012). Core concepts of transformation theory. In E. W. Taylor & P. Cranton (Eds.), Handbook of transformative learning: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 73–95). Jossey-Bass.
Miconi, A. (2020). News from the Levant: A qualitative research on the role of social media in Syrian diaspora. Social Media + Society, 6(1), 2056305119900337. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119900337
Panter, K. H. (2018). Resilience in context: A brief and culturally grounded measure for Syrian refugee and Jordanian host-community adolescents. Child Development, 89(5), 1803–1820. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12868
Renukappa, S., Egbu, C. O., & Kumar, B. (2006). Knowledge portal for addressing corporate sustainability issues: A conceptual framework.
Simonarson, G. (2015). Help Abdul and Reem start a new life. Indiegogo. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-abdul-and-reem-start-a-new-life#/
Sun, H., Yuan, C., Qian, Q., He, S., & Luo, Q. (2022). Digital resilience among individuals in school education settings: A concept analysis based on a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.858515
The Associated Press. (2015, December 3). Abdul Halim al-Attar, Syrian refugee in viral photo, is now running three businesses. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syrian-refugee-viral-photo-now-running-three-businesses-n473566
Udwan, G., Leurs, K., & Alencar, A. (2020). Digital resilience tactics of Syrian refugees in the Netherlands: Social media for social support, health, and identity. Social Media + Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120915587
UNHCR. (2018). Syria seven years on: Timeline of the Syria crisis. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/ph/13427-seven-years-timeline-syria-crisis.html
Vernon, A., Deriche, K., & Eisenhauer, S. (2016). Connecting refugees: How Internet and mobile connectivity can improve refugee well-being and transform humanitarian action. UNHCR.
Wagnild, G., & Collins, J. (2009). Assessing resilience. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 47(12), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20091103-01
Authors
Copyright (c) 2025 Yasmin Aldamen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal provides immediate and free open access to all its content and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means readers are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, as long as proper attribution is given. This policy is consistent with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.