Use of Technologies by the War-Driven Ukrainian Forced Migrants in Poland
摘要
This chapter investigates the role of digital technologies in shaping contemporary migration processes, with a particular emphasis on the displacement of Ukrainian citizens to Poland following the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022. Unlike earlier migration surges, this influx has been heavily gendered, with women and children making up the majority. The reception and integration of these forced migrants have been facilitated by a variety of actors, including individual citizens, non-governmental organisations, international agencies, and state institutions—operating within a complex and evolving legislative and policy framework. Within this multifaceted governance architecture, digital technologies have emerged as essential enablers of both institutional response and migrant agency. The chapter conceptualises the migration-technology nexus by looking at how digital infrastructures are mobilised during different stages of relocation—from initial reception to long-term integration. Technologies are not merely auxiliary tools; they are critical instruments for survival, adaptability, and connectivity. It seems that migrants and institutional actors alike rely on digital platforms to navigate bureaucratic systems, access services, and maintain transnational ties. Prior to delving deeper into the analysis, the chapter describes the everyday digital practices of various actors that underpin individual and collective resilience tactics. These practices form the operational foundation for migrants to organise their lives, activate and engage in support mechanisms. Drawing on extensive qualitative research—including interviews with experts, representatives of aid organisations, public sector personnel, and forced migrants—the chapter contends that the effective management of this migration flow would have been significantly hampered in the absence of modern technological affordances and the solidaristic orientation of host societies.