Transient Non-Use: How People in Migration Experience Digital Disconnection

1. Problem Statement

While Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research frequently focuses on how migrants adopt and utilize Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for connection and navigation, there is a significant gap in understanding ICT non-use. For people experiencing migration, non-use is not merely a lack of access or a deficit in digital literacy; it is often a rational, strategic, or forced response to high-stakes risks.

The paper addresses the following core problems:

• The Dual Nature of ICTs: Mobile devices are "lifelines" for navigation and family connection but also "liabilities" that can expose users to surveillance, extortion, confiscation, and deportation.
• The Gap in Literature: Existing HCI literature often frames migration through the lens of "digital passage" and adoption, overlooking the conditions under which technology is intentionally avoided or unintentionally lost.
• Systemic Exclusion: Current sociotechnical systems (e.g., border apps, detention processing) assume continuous digital presence and stability, failing to account for the reality of intermittent connectivity, device loss, and the need for anonymity.

2. Methodology

The study employs a qualitative, ethnographic approach grounded in community-based participatory research.

• Participants: The study involved 32 individuals experiencing migration (30 interviews, including 2 joint interviews) in El Paso, Texas, USA.
  • Demographics: Primarily from Venezuela, with smaller numbers from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Nigeria, and Kenya.
  • Status: Participants included single adults and family units who had crossed the US-MX border prior to the 2025 US Presidential inauguration. Some were in Alternative to Detention (ATD) programs.
• Data Collection:
  • Timeframe: February to May 2025, a period of intensified US immigration policy changes.
  • Method: 30 semi-structured interviews (30–75 minutes each).
  • Recruitment: Flyers in communal locations (shelters, parks) and private networks of aid organizations. Recruitment was facilitated by community partners to ensure safety and trust.
  • Ethics: Trauma-informed practices were used; participants received $20 compensation. Data was anonymized, and sensitive details were removed.
• Data Analysis:
  • Transcription: Audio was processed using a locally hosted WhisperX model for transcription and translation to ensure data privacy (no third-party sharing).
  • Coding: Inductive open coding and thematic analysis were used to identify patterns.
  • Theoretical Framework: The analysis integrates Ruthven's Transition Theory (Understanding, Negotiating, Resolving) with Satchell and Dourish's Typology of Non-Use (Displacement, Disenchantment, Disenfranchisement, Lagging Adoption, Disinterest, Active Resistance).

3. Key Contributions

The paper makes three primary theoretical and practical contributions:

1. Reconceptualizing Non-Use: It argues that non-use in migration is a situated response to power and precarity, functioning as both a protective strategy (intentional) and a result of systemic exclusion (unintentional).
2. Temporal Framework: It extends the concept of non-use by mapping it onto the three phases of migration transitions, demonstrating how the type and reason for non-use shift as the migrant moves from preparation to travel to stabilization.
3. Design Principles for Disconnection: It proposes a shift in HCI design philosophy from "designing for failure" to "designing for disconnection," treating intermittent presence as a baseline condition rather than an exception.

4. Key Results & Findings

The analysis identified three distinct categories of non-use, which manifest differently across the transition phases:

A. Types of Non-Use

1. Device Non-Use (Loss of Device):
   • Causes: Theft, damage (water/jungle), confiscation by cartels or authorities, and infrastructural gaps (no signal in remote areas).
   • Impact: Loss of identity proof, inability to contact family, and vulnerability to extortion (e.g., kidnappers demanding ransom from families who cannot verify the migrant's safety).
2. Informational Non-Use:
   • Unintentional: Caused by misinformation from smugglers, language barriers in US government systems (e.g., virtual ICE interviews without interpreters), and bureaucratic opacity (missing appointments due to misunderstood requirements).
   • Intentional: Deliberately avoiding government systems (e.g., not using the CBP One app) to avoid digital tracking and maintain anonymity.
3. Protective Non-Use:
   • Strategies: Logging out of shared devices, limiting social media engagement to avoid political scrutiny, non-disclosure of location/hardships to family, and deletion practices (erasing contacts/messages before border crossings to prevent evidence of criminal association or US connections).

B. Non-Use Across Transition Phases

• Understanding Phase: Non-use is often driven by disenchantment (due to misinformation) or active resistance (avoiding negative information to maintain motivation to migrate).
• Negotiating Phase: Characterized by high levels of displacement (forced loss of devices) and lagging adoption (intentionally not buying SIM cards or backups due to expected disconnection). Active resistance manifests as deleting data before checkpoints.
• Resolving Phase: Non-use shifts toward disenfranchisement (penalties for missing digital check-ins due to system complexity) and disinterest (withdrawing from social media to protect mental health).

C. Coping Mechanisms

Participants developed resilience strategies such as:

• Carrying low-value, older phones to reduce theft risk.
• Borrowing phones for brief, essential calls and immediately deleting numbers.
• Reducing communication to "I am alive" status updates to minimize data exposure.

5. Significance and Design Implications

The paper challenges the HCI assumption that continuous connectivity is the default state for users. It argues that systems governing migration (border control, asylum processing, aid distribution) are currently designed for a "stable user" and fail when users experience transient non-use.

Proposed Design Principles (Table 2 in paper):

• Treat Absence as Predictable: Systems must support offline-first workflows that sync when connectivity returns, rather than requiring constant online presence.
• Preserve Eligibility: Absence (e.g., missing a digital check-in due to device loss) should trigger inquiry rather than automatic penalties or deportation orders.
• Institutional Responsibility: Connectivity and translation should be provided as shared infrastructure (e.g., by NGOs or shelters) rather than individual responsibilities.
• Proxy Access: Services should be accessible without persistent personal accounts, allowing NGOs or trusted entities to act as proxies.
• Selective Visibility: Systems must support selective identity credentials that allow users to prove eligibility without revealing their full location or history to a single authority.

Conclusion:
The paper concludes that designing for non-use is an ethical imperative. By acknowledging that disconnection is a structural feature of migration, HCI can move away from punitive designs that punish absence and toward systems that support human agency, dignity, and survival even when digital presence is impossible.