Women Refugees’ Media Usage: Overcoming Information Precarity in Germany

This study examines how women refugees in Hamburg, Germany, many arriving either as minors or unaccompanied minors (now young adults), managed to overcome information precarity resulting from limited access to the internet and/or traditional media, while experiencing constantly-changing living conditions. Findings from 32 semi-structured interviews with refugee women from various countries show that their perception of precarity was amplified by limited internet access. Refugee women actively sought to overcome this precarity, exhibiting resourcefulness in finding ways to access the internet, digital media, and information and communication technology tools. This study does not exclusively focus on mobile phone use, but the findings indicate that mobile phones represent a lifeline for refugee women that is as vital as food or shelter.