ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evolving role of digital technologies in shaping migration, with a special emphasis on forced migration caused by the 2022 Russian full-scale aggression on Ukraine, which is taking place in Central and Eastern Europe. This chapter investigates how forced migrants use, adapt and innovate with information and communication technologies (ICTs), emphasising the complex interaction between migration and technologies. ICTs act as a tool of empowerment and control, assisting migrants in navigating complex migratory processes while also outlining mobility boundaries, frequently aggravating gaps between free and compelled migration. A fundamental comprehension of this technological evolution is essential, as it represents a substantial ontological shift from ICTs as a luxury to a basic necessity in modern life. Forced migrants, like migrants and other individuals, increasingly rely on digital tools for communication, information collecting and decision-making, yet they face challenges in access, digital literacy, and surveillance risks. Reflecting on the intersection of ICTs and forced migration is crucial because it raises key concerns regarding their reciprocal interaction in theoretical and empirical contexts, establishing the framework for future considerations in later chapters. Forced migrants' experiences in regions shifting from emigration to immigration, such as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), must be explored. This perspective sheds light on the larger implications of ICTs' use in migration and displacement, providing insights into technology's function for migrants, as well as an examination of source countries and digitalisation there, in this case, Ukraine.
