The Internet and Desire to Move: The Role of Virtual Practices in the Inspiration Phase of Migration

This paper contributes to the understanding of non‐local migration in the digital age by investigating emerging virtual practices in the migration process. We focus on the initial inspiration phase that theoretically defines the attainable reach of individuals considering moving. Using a case‐based approach, we distinguish how online information and social contact influence an individual's early considerations and desires to move elsewhere. We draw on indepth interviews with young adults in S weden. Our findings characterise how Internet‐based information influences the spatial, social, and temporal horizons of inspiration with potential implications for subsequent plans. We find that virtual practices spatially expand these horizons and promote a shift towards insider information. Results further suggest that a flow of information and background knowledge regarding opportunities in other places drives the inspiration phase, extending its duration until it is more or less continuous. Reduced information friction increases the scope for impulsiveness to spark migration inspiration and intentions.