The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

The Portuguese Dream: A Promotion-Oriented Discourse on TikTok of Post COVID-19 Lifestyle Migrants in Portugal

På svenska

Author

  • Natalie Marie De Souza

Summary, in English

This thesis explores the discursive depiction of life in Portugual from the perspective of lifestyle migrants and digital nomads on TikTok. The aim of this thesis is to uncover the motivations of foreigners to live in Portugal, lifestyle migrants’ integration into Portuguese society, and their acknowledgement of the growing gentrification issues in Portugal. The method used in this study is Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis and has been adapted to allow for analysation of social media videos and their comment sections. The research is supported with theories of nation branding and country image, concepts of social media, virtual communities, language and migration, and gentrification. The material consists of 25 videos posted to TikTok by lifestyle migrants and digital nomads living in Portugal, and was selected with certain criteria in mind to ensure a degree of similarity amongst the content and its creators. The analysis of the TikTok videos include language, visuals, and interactions between viewers and content creators via comments left on the videos. The results of this thesis find that Portugal is portrayed as an attractive country for relocation for many lifestyle migrants due to qualities such as climate, affordability, and language, among others. Although a major selling point for migrants, the wide-spead use of English in Portugal in addition to large expat communities, also appeared to be a hindrance in their ability to integrate into Portuguese society. The analysis also revealed that a large portion of the videos analysed addressed the topic of gentrification in Portugal, with several content creators shining a light on the privileges of digital nomads and existing issues of inequality in Portugal.

Department/s

Publishing year

2024

Language

English

Document type

Student publication for Master's degree (two years)

Topic

  • Social Sciences
  • Law and Political Science

Keywords

  • Portugal
  • digital nomads
  • TikTok
  • social media
  • lifestyle migration
  • gentrification
  • European studies

Supervisor

  • Mattias Nowak