Social ties and identity in online social networks: the case of the African diaspora

The innovating tools provided by the Web 2.0 offer many (new) possibilities, notably the creation and/or the development of social networking. For the members of diasporas, these tools are a new means of bringing the group to life and reinforcing group identity. As a result, the identity question arises once again insofar as it spreads beyond a local level to international and virtual levels. Many questions arise from this sphere of communication and it's the Diaspora structure itself which might change with its new links. If the new media are becoming more accessible and have a growing role in the exchange between the community members, what would be their influence on the identity structures and the preservation of their social link in the African diasporas? Would the social networks allow a real social link and an identity structure, or are they basically a showcase for the individual expression? Is there a real change in the diasporas' social organization or would these tools add new channels, without notorious effect, except for the exchanges getting denser? Taking into account these questionings, our study offers an analysis of the way in which social relationships and identities are built within the African diasporas by way of digital social networks.