Smartphone-based Ethnography for Migrant Urban Adaptation Studies

Thesis Abstract

This study addresses the challenges of urban adaptation faced by internal and international migrants in rapidly growing cities where traditional ethnographic methods are constrained by mobility, safety, and time, and where digital traces offer unprecedented access to quotidian practices. The research argues that smartphone-based ethnography can illuminate how migrants negotiate space, social networks, and everyday survival strategies within urban environments, while also revealing how digital platforms shape identity formation and access to resources. The aim is to develop a robust, technologically facilitated ethnographic framework that captures temporal, spatial, and social dimensions of migrant adaptation, enabling comparative insights across different migrant groups and urban contexts. Specific objectives include (i) to document daily routines, mobility patterns, and place-making practices of migrant populations using multi-method smartphone data; (ii) to examine the role of mobile communication, location-aware apps, and social media in sustaining transnational and intra-urban ties; (iii) to analyze how digital ethnography can reveal experiences of discrimination, precarity, and resilience; (iv) to evaluate the methodological validity, reliability, and ethical implications of smartphone-based data collection in migrant research; and (v) to generate a conceptual model linking technology-mediated ethnography with theories of place, social capital, and adaptation. The study adopts a mixed-methods, multi-sited design grounded in phenomenology and urban sociology, employing smartphone-based participant observation, geotagged photo elicitation, and passive usage data complemented by in-depth interviews. The population comprises adult migrants residing in three metropolitan centers with high migrant influx City A, City B, and City C. A stratified purposive sample of 180 participants (60 per city) will be recruited to ensure representation across asylum/immigrant status, length of residency, gender, and digital literacy. Data collection instruments include a custom data-collection app that prompts momentary questions, passive GPS traces, and secure photo-documentation, supplemented by semi-structured interviews conducted via video calls and encrypted chat. Instrument validity will be ensured through pilot testing with 20 participants and cognitive interviewing to refine prompts, while reliability will be enhanced by standardized protocols and inter coder checks for qualitative coding. Data will be analyzed using a convergent mixed-methods approach quantitative traces (GPS movement metrics, app usage analytics, and social network indicators) will be analyzed with cluster analysis and generalized linear models to identify patterns of mobility, resource access, and social integration; qualitative data (photo elicitation, diary entries, and interviews) will undergo thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke, with coding frames aligned to theoretical constructs of place-making, social capital, and adaptation. A thematic-narrative synthesis will integrate quantitative and qualitative results. The analytical framework will incorporate Bourdieu’s social capital, Lefebvre’s right to the city, and Appadurai’s ethnoscapes to interpret how technology-mediated ethnography translates into lived urban experience. Key expected findings include (1) heterogeneous mobility regimes among migrant groups, with differentiated access to informal economies and social networks as revealed by GPS-based activity spaces; (2) evidence that mobile communication and social platforms function as both bridges and barriers to integration, influencing perceived safety, trust, and belonging; (3) disparities in digital literacy and data-sharing comfort that affect the completeness and representativeness of smartphone ethnography; (4) ethical tensions around surveillance, consent, and privacy that shape participant engagement and data quality; (5) a validated conceptual model that links technology-enabled ethnography with mechanisms of urban adaptation, social capital exchange, and place-making. The study is expected to contribute to knowledge by advancing methodological rigor in smartphone-based ethnography within migration research, offering a replicable framework for cross-city comparisons, and integrating digital traces with traditional ethnographic insights to illuminate the nuances of migrant urban adaptation. The main conclusion will emphasize the value of ethically grounded, technologically enhanced ethnography in capturing dynamic migrant experiences and informing inclusive urban policy. Recommendations will focus on ethical guidelines for data collection, the design of participant-centered data-sharing options, capacity-building for digital literacy among migrant communities, and policy considerations for improving urban inclusivity, service access, and protection against discrimination.