The Digital Im/migrant: IS in Migration Governance, Work, and Life

<p dir="ltr">This panel explores how digital technologies shape the migration experience across governance, labor, and decision-making. While digital systems increasingly organize citizens’ lives, their role in shaping migrants’ experiences is less visible, especially for those navigating unfamiliar institutions and limited legal status. Drawing on empirical research, this panel examines tensions in how digital infrastructures affect migrant-state relations and platform-mediated labor markets. Panelists address topics such as the modernization of immigration institutions, social media use in migration planning, digital labor recruitment across the Americas, and algorithmic control in gig work. In dialogue with core IS concerns—sociotechnical systems, platform governance, and information-seeking behavior—the panel situates digital migration systems within broader political, structural, and ethical contexts. This interdisciplinary session fosters debate on tensions between technological innovation and equity. By tackling these issues, the panel invites IS scholars to see migration as a vital context for rethinking inclusion, infrastructure, and institutional transformation.</p>