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Introduction
The Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) congratulates alumna Dr. Michele Ferris-Dobles on the publication of her new book, Migration in the Digital Age: An Ethnographic Study, which will be released on March 16 by Intellect Books and distributed by the University of Chicago Press.
The book is based on Ferris-Dobles’ doctoral research completed in the UIC Department of Communication, where she earned her PhD under the supervision of Professor Steve Jones. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and visual data, the book examines how smartphones and mobile media technologies shape the Central American migrant journey to the United States. It highlights how migrants use digital tools to maintain connections, navigate their journeys, and build support networks across borders.
Dr. Ferris-Dobles is currently a professor and researcher in media and communication at the University of Costa Rica, where her work focuses on migration, digital media, and communication technologies.
The department celebrates this important scholarly contribution and its impact on the fields of communication, media studies, migration studies, and anthropology.