| dc.description.abstract | This study aims to examine the role of social media in maintaining interpersonal communication
between Indonesian migrant workers and their families, focusing on migrant workers recruited
through PT Wira Kreasi Usaha Ponorogo. Labor migration often results in long-term physical
separation, creating challenges for emotional closeness, family roles, and relationship stability.
In this context, social media has become an essential means of maintaining communication
within transnational families. This study employs a qualitative phenomenological approach to
explore the lived experiences of Indonesian migrant workers in maintaining family
communication through social media. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with
three Indonesian migrant workers employed in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The
findings reveal that social media, particularly WhatsApp, plays a significant role in maintaining
emotional closeness, facilitating emotional expression, providing psychological support, and
enabling digital parenting practices such as monitoring children’s activities, offering advice, and
providing emotional guidance. However, several challenges were identified, including limited
communication time, long working hours, time zone differences, restricted access to mobile
phones, and emotional misunderstandings resulting from the absence of non-verbal cues. To
address these challenges, migrant workers develop adaptive communication strategies,
including establishing communication routines, maintaining openness, practicing emotional
regulation, and fostering trust and harmony within their families. Overall, this study concludes
that social media functions not only as a technological tool but also as an emotional bridge that
supports the continuity of interpersonal communication within transnational families. The
effectiveness of such communication depends largely on emotional commitment, mutual
understanding, and sustained interpersonal efforts among family members. | en_US |
