John Miers
United States of America
Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and
the Maltese diaspora
Diasporas can be defined as communities who regard of themselves as a national,
ethnic, or other form of cultural and political structure of collective membership
living outside of their family’s homeland.i
Historically, when someone traveled afar, or migrated, there has always been a desire
and an attempt at communication, however the means of communication were not
so certain. When my grandparents left Malta in 1920, they left behind their family,
friends, and the easy means of communication they had with them. To maintain
connections, many letters were written by them, as international telephone
communications was still in its infancy.
I recall my mother telling me stories of how she and her family, during World War II,
would huddle next to the radio listening for any news and information about the war
in Europe, especially Malta. She said her radio at home could receive short wave
signals from Europe, mainly England, and they would sometimes hear small pieces of
information about Malta. Newspapers during the war were available, and offered
additional news, especially maps of the war theater in Europe. During that time, their
desire for information from their home country was great, but means of
communication was very limited and much slower. Although technology continued
to evolve and improve post war, the communication and interconnection between
Malta, and its diasporic communities remained much the same for the next 50 years.
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora
The close of the 20th century ushered in a new era of communication. The Internet
and the World Wide Web interlinked hypertext documents and permitted users to
view and navigate between them. This also allowed for the transfer of information.
The creation of e-mail, and the speed and ease in which it handles messages, has
transformed traditional written communication to the point that many countries have
experienced a drastic reduction in the volume of traditional personal and business
mail. The emergence of Web 2.0 technologies has allowed users to interact with the
previously static websites, which in turn enabled users to also interact with one
another. The tools to access this technology has become more affordable, with
smaller and faster personal computers. Advancements have also become more
innovative with the development of laptop computers, electronic tablets, notebooks
and a new device, the smartphone. All of these inventions facilitated the
development of programs specifically designed for social networking.
This technology has changed the way we think about a diaspora. The Internet has
spurred the development of new tools to leverage its communication pathways.
Programs such as Facebook, Google+, Myspace, Yelp, Skype, YouTube, and various
other social media programs has had a profound effect on the way diasporic
communities communicate and interact with the ‘homeland’ and to each other.
The World Wide Web and Web 2.0 technologies have facilitated the presence of
networking and information services to the world. Websites such as the Times of
Malta, streaming Maltese TV, and even live cameras around Malta has shrunk the
distances for the Maltese diaspora.ii Electronic social networking has facilitated the
formation of communities brought together by common interests. It is only natural
that those with familial and cultural bonds would also seek to connect via virtual
communities through social media.
SharingThe creation of these virtual communities have not only allowed members to be
directly connected to the homeland – Malta, but also share with their friends, and
associates the beauty, history, and culture of the Maltese Islands. This exposure has
far expanded the reach of the Maltese government to promote tourism, business,
and commerce, through the networking of the Maltese virtual diaspora communities
around the world.
Creating an online network allows friends and relatives, who have been out of touch
to discover one another and communicate. Networking can lead to not only virtual
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora
reunions but actual ones as well as the desire to re-connect and attend cultural
events are high. For the Maltese Diaspora, communication through the networks is
mainly conducted in English, however networks contain a mix of Maltese and English,
while others are exclusively in Maltese. This encourages the Maltese Diaspora to
continue to embrace the Maltese culture through its language, and can act as a
catalyst for some to re-connect with or learn the Maltese language.
Promoting a sense of community is the purpose behind the social networking sites.
These sites allow members and interested visitors to post messages and responses.
In addition, photos, videos, events, news, and information of interest are regularly
posted to social media sites. The diasporic public sphere is not exclusive to the
Diaspora, since information technology and social networking freely allow homeland
individuals to participate in this exchange, as well. Postings of news, and expressing
views on various subjects encourages engaging dialog and sometimes banter, which
is reminiscent of typical family gatherings in Malta. This sphere is neither separate
from nor identical to the homeland public sphere, because of its transitional nature.
It mingles audiences from both sides, yet some issues are germane to one side and
may not have direct relevance to the other.
This virtual arena has transformed once separated and divided groups into a new
one: The E-Diaspora.iii The e-diaspora may be virtual communities, or real
communities, or even pseudo communities, but they all share a desire for community
that followed a migration event which occurred within their family. The e-diaspora
have become the content creators of the social networking media, which in turn has
become a space where their social relations are shaped, maintained, and
strengthened.
Social Networking SitesThere are various avenues for communication on the Internet. Dependent on the
needs of the users, many networking websites exist to facilitate communication
between individuals and groups. We are familiar with the services of Google as a web
search engine, however, that is just a part of the services they offer. For networking,
Google created platforms such as Google Docs and Google Drive for the sharing of
files and other medium. Folders and files can be shared across a wide base of users,
which can contain documents, photos, and videos, for both personal and business
use. Also, they offer Google+, a social networking site which allows users to post
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora
information, photos, join interest groups, post status updates, and receive
notifications from individuals and various groups they belong to.iv
Facebook has become the dominant social networking site on the Internet at this
time with over 1.2 billion active members.v Users can be individuals, institutions, or
businesses. They can post status notes and exchange messages, photos, videos, and
receive notifications from other members and groups.
These various social networking sites have exposed to the world to the beauty,
history, and cultural values of Malta. On Facebook alone are the following
networking groups originating in Malta: Heritage Malta, The National Archives of
Malta, National Library of Malta, The National Museum of Archaeology, Armed
Forces of Malta, Department of Information (Malta), Ministry for Tourism Malta,
University of Malta (several departments), Times of Malta, Cisk, and many others.
The Maltese diaspora have also created their own presence on social networking with
groups such as: The Maltese Cross Foundation (Northern California,USA), Maltese
Americans, Proud 2B Maltese Club, and even Maltese Pastizzi- Where to buy them
outside of Malta… and many more. Sites which bring additional attention to Malta
are The Malta Study Center-Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at the University of
Michigan, U.S.A., and Malteser International – Order of Malta Worldwide Relief.
All of these sites reinvigorate interest in the Maltese people, its culture, and history.
Business
In business, information technology has created a new form of trade: electronic
commerce. E-commerce has greatly expanded a company’s market reach.vi In
addition, it has allowed an organization to facilitate commerce to those diaspora
desiring and requiring to maintain business and cultural connections. For business,
the benefit of online social networking is leveraging the collective knowledge and
expertise of individuals and organizations, which in turn leads to a smarter and better
informed organization. The availability, low costs, and the much-extended use of the
new means of communication have served to enhance globalization in commerce. vii
The use of information technology has also expanded services in Malta previously
unavailable to the Maltese Diaspora. Banking, real estate, and access to government
services are all available via the World Wide Web. From the Bank of Valletta and
HSBC Bank Malta, to wineries, legal firms, shipping, and many other business in
Malta have a web and social networking presence.
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora
An additional phenomenon has emerged via social networking; that is the wide scale
process of obtaining project funding called: Crowdfunding. Rather than solicit
venture capital through traditional means, crowdfunding utilizes the global sphere to
present projects and solicit funds.viii Smaller projects, perhaps not eligible for
traditional funding, can obtain international exposure which can result in obtaining
funding from many smaller sources verses a few larger ones. In this way, the Maltese
Diaspora can directly contribute and invest in projects in Malta, adding to an
increased sense of contribution.
Conclusion:
With the emergence and development of the Internet and Information Technology,
social media networks will undoubtedly play an increasing role in the relationship
between Malta and its Diasporas abroad. Social networking platforms will serve not
only as a tool for communication and community building, but also will provide new
opportunities to provide business services and strengthen the cultural relationship
between the Diaspora groups and our home country.
John Miers
United States of America
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora
i
Brubaker, Rogers (2005). "The 'diaspora' diaspora". Ethnic and Racial Studies 28 (1): 1–19.
ii
http://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/malta/malta/traffic/traffic-cam9.html
iii
Diminescu, D. (2012). Introduction: Digital methods for the exploration, analysis and mapping of
e-diasporas. Social Science Information, 51(4), 451-458. doi:10.1177/0539018412456918
iv
http://www.google.com/docs/about/
v
Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results. PR Newswire. January 29, 2014.
Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/facebook-to-announce-fourthquarter-and-full-year-2014-results-300016706.html 1/10/2015.
vi
Momentum for e-commerce builds. (2013). MMR, 30(20), 39.
vii
Scarle, S., Arnab, S., Dunwell, I., Petridis, P., Protopsaltis, A., & de Freitas, S. (2012). E-commerce
transactions in a virtual environment: Virtual transactions. Electronic Commerce Research, 12(3),
379-407. doi:10.1007/s10660-012-9098-4
viii
Johnston, L. (2014). Crowdfunding spotlight. TWICE, 29(16), 33. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1555617305?accountid=4840
References:
Hiller, Harry H., Franz, Tara. New Ties, Old Ties, and Lost Ties: The Use of the Internet in Diaspora.
New Media & Society. December 2004 vol. 6 no. 6 731-752
Grixti, J. (2006). Symbiotic transformations: Youth, global media and indigenous culture in Malta.
Media, Culture & Society, 28(1), 105-122. doi:10.1177/0163443706059295
Online corporate social networking. (2013). Development and Learning in Organizations, 27(1),
19-21. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777281311291240
Rheingold, Howard. The Virtual Community (Cambridge, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994)
Shaw, W. H. (2010). Social networking. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 38(3), 2.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2010.2054373
Social networking. (2012, September 20). Financial Adviser. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/ps/i.do?
Tobin, E. (2011). The networking Tibetan diaspora. Forced Migration Review, (38), 33.
Zurawski, Nils. 'Ethnicity and the Internet in a Global Society', paper presented at the Inet
'96 conference, Montreal, June 1996; Nils Zurawski, 'Among the Internauts: Notes from the
Cyberfield', Cybersociology Magazine, No.6 (1999).
CMLA 2015 – John Miers (USA): Bridging the distance: Information technology, social media, and the
Maltese diaspora