SIHMA

Researching Human Migration across Africa

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20 Oct

Phones, Promises and Risky Roads: The Digital Side of Irregular Migration

For many people who cross borders irregularly, one of the most valuable things they carry is not money or food but a smartphone. A recent study by Mouhi Eddine Sadaoui and Souad Azizi examines how phones and social media shape the journeys of undocumented migrants who travel through Morocco hoping to reach Europe (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026). Their findings expose the half-truths that circulate online about irregular migration, most specifically success stories shared by smugglers and migrants who have already reached Europe, while leaving out the hardship of the journey. In the authors words, such collective digital narrative “Inflate successes while minizing challenges” (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 47).

The authors interviewed five Cameroonian nationals living as undocumented migrants in Mohammedi, Morocco, who also included two teenage cousins living without a guardian. They also studied Facebook groups that had about 71,000 members devoted to crossing (Boza) (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026).

 

A lifeline in the palm of the hand

According to Sadaoui and Azizi, the migrants they interviewed used technology as a survival toolkit, for example, one participant named Patrice said “I learned that Boko Haram had committed attacks ... so, I convinced my group to turn back” (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 40). Another participant named Christian bluntly stated that “If you don’t have a phone, you’ll have enormous problems” (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 41). Most participants had also joined Whatsapp groups that connect them with African diaspora communities in Europe, where they share valuable information and direction.

Yet the same device can become a liability, because a lifeline is only as reliable as the phone that carries it. Another participant named Marie describes how her companions were split by smugglers near Abuja (Nigeria), where some were ambushed, beaten, and robbed of money and devices, leaving them unable to warn others about the dangers heading their way (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 41). She tells the authors, “When we arrived at the motel, and time passed with no sign of the others, something was wrong. They arrived at the hotel armed. The guys wanted our money; ... they took what we had and left” (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 41). Maries’s account shows the other side of the lifeline: migrants rely on their phones to send and receive warning’s, so when robbers took devices, her companions lost every means of warning others of the approaching dangers. This illustrates the vulnerabilities and dangers many people faced while migrating through  informal channels.

 

The online Influence

The study’s most distinct argument concerns what migrants see online. Sadaoui and Azizi propose the concept of “digital migratory mimicry,” which is defined as a process by which polished stories of successful crossings encourage others to imitate them. This is seen by the number of people who are drawn or motivated to migrate because they heard stories about certain prominent figures or saw social media testimonials by diasporas who successfully reached Europe. The interesting observation is that most of the shared stories usually only celebrate the successful arrivals and hide the violent and harsh realities they faced on the ground.

On one of the facebook groups, the authors found a tension. On one hand, you have migrants use the group as a place to share information(tips and warnings), but on the other, you have smugglers and middlemen who also post and share services on the groups (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 32). According to the authors, these smugglers share testimonial videos, cheerful emojis and fatherly messages of pride to portray crossing as a safe journey, building false trust and a sense of urgency (Sadaoui & Azizi, 2026, p. 39).

 

The issue of irregular migration is complicated and digital media can influence migrants in both positive and negative ways. Based on five interviews and an analysis of one Facebook group, Sadaoui and Azizi explain that smartphones can serve as important source of information about potential dangers along migration routes.  However they can also be a tool for sharing misleading information and stories that shapes and influence perceptions of migration opportunities and risks. Online stories can strongly influence how people understand migration and can affect their decisions about whether to begin the journey or not. For this reason, the risks and real costs of irregular migration should be presented with both positive and negative realities, so that people can make more informed decisions.

 

References

Sadaoui, M. E., & Azizi, S. (August 31, 2026). Navigating Borders and Screens: ICT Practices and Digital Migratory Mimicry in the Sub-Saharan Boza Journey. 26. Mimupada lati https://sihma.org.za/storage/journals/2.%20ICT%20Practices%20and%20Digital%20Migratory%20Mimicry%20in%20the%20Sub-Saharan%20Boza%20Journey.pdf

 

 

 

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