Abstract

This paper explores how social networks allow that migrants and their transnational families may control when and how communicate in order to keep in contact in real time with their homeland communities, as well as preserving their traditions and practices. This way, they keep a copresentiality (Baldassar, 2016). This work is conducted under a qualitative methodology including dyadic interviews to twenty subjects from different Colombian families who experienced that one of their family members went to Chile. The results show noticeably that WhatsApp is the most frequently used social network due to its assorted features for getting connected both synchronically and diachronically. The subjects reported an increase in the feeling of distancing and separation despite the digitally-enabled closeness. The evidence also shows some efforts by the migrants to maintain their roles as a mother, a brother or a son thanks to the use of social networks.