THE ONLINE AND OFFLINE SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS FOR IMMIGRANTS IN MALAGA (SPAIN)

Thanks to the development of Information and Communication Technologies, international immigrants now have available fast connectivity with their countries of origin and destination. This study analyzes how online and offline support networks influence the perception of social support, sense of community, and life satisfaction of immigrants. A quantitative approach was applied using a representative sample of 1563 immigrants residing in Malaga (Spain). The results show that immigrants benefit from having a wide and heterogeneous support network, and that the Internet is of great value in relation to the perception of social support, sense of community, and life satisfaction. The findings support the usefulness of technology-mediated communication during the acculturation process and the need to help immigrants build their own social networks.