‘High tide by boat, low tide we walk’: the everyday digital lives of girls in remote villages of Vanua Levu, Fiji

ABSTRACT

A technological revolution of the Pacific region means that we have opportunities to investigate the ways in which digital technology is impacting the lives of those living in remote areas of the region. The aim of this article is to provide insight into the role of emotions in the digital lives of girls living in villages of Vanua Levu, Fiji. Facebook is shown to be a social environment where meaningful online social practices are created through emotional interactions and connections. The girls highlight how social media is used to provide emotional support to other village young people and to explore their desires to be more modernised village girls. It is also shown how increased access to Facebook causes familial conflict, further establishing how social media has transformed village dynamics. The article concludes by situating emotions as playing a significant role in reshaping the boundaries of village life.

KEYWORDS:

• PhotoVoice
• emotions
• young people
• Fiji
• Facebook
• digital divide

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 The Facebook group, Jejemon-FBC TV, was changed to ‘Andhy Blake’ in 2020.