Book Review: Social Media in the Lives of Young Connected Migrants by Xinyu Zhao

Abstract

In Social Media in the Lives of Young Connected Migrants, Xinyu Zhao offers an insightful ethnographic study of Chinese international students in Australia, focusing on how they navigate digital connectivity. Zhao explores how these students establish boundaries through social media by managing privacy, engaging in disconnective practices, and performing identity. Through interviews and observations, Zhao reveals how students navigate boundaries with fellow migrants, interact with non-Chinese peers, manage family connections, and separate personal and professional identities on social media. While Zhao’s research is deeply focused, the limitations of the study—such as its narrow demographic and exclusion of other perspectives—suggest avenues for further exploration. Nonetheless, Zhao’s work is an important contribution to understanding the social dynamics of young connected migrants in the digital age.