Digital Media, Identity and Quality of Life of a Local Ecuadorian Community in Andalusia (SE Spain)

This article is a case study of the digital practices of Ecuadorians residing in Vera, a small city of 15,000 inhabitants in the Province of Almería in Eastern Andalusia (Spain). Participant observation of the community and in-depth interviews of Internet shops’ owners and users were used to describe access to, use and appropriation of, digital media by recent immigrants. The ethnographic fieldwork was complemented with a survey to 60 young participants in a digital literacy course. Ecuadorian immigrants use digital media to maintain ties to the homeland and also as a tool for inclusion in the host society. The role of the Internet, locutorios and mobile phones are examined. Compared to mobile phones and online communities, locutorios are behaviour settings for recent immigrants, where digital media usage and appropriation take place in the context of local interaction among individuals in an active process of acculturation and adaptation to the receiving country. Participation in communities of recent immigrants contributes to subjective well-being of newcomers and has an indirect impact on the quality of life of local people.