The current refugee crisis is characterized by the digital age: mobile phones are an essential tool for asylum-seekers, and Wi-Fi hotspots are as vital as watering holes. Mobile devices provide access to information for planning the flight, direct the way to the destination country by means of a GPS, and allow the refugees to stay in touch with both those left behind as well as with the ones who had already fled. Although digital wireless devices clearly play a major role in the current refugee crisis, apart from media reports and case studies there are limited data on the communication and interaction patterns and their impact on refugee flows.
Against this backdrop, the research project "Flight 2.0" utilizes a representative quantitative survey in refugee housing in Berlin in order to investigate the refugees’ use of mobile devices during the journey from their home countries to Germany. The object of scientific analysis is the refugees’ media usage not only during, but also before and after the flight. We firstly direct our attention to the various sources of information that refugees draw upon and trust. Then, we seek to illuminate the practical functions of smartphones, such as the GPS, in the context of refugee flight. In addition to a descriptive survey of communication patterns, the main objective of the project is to measure the effects of the usage of information and communication technologies on the refugees’ attitudes and behaviors.