DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2019.v07i05.001

Pages: 302–307

Migration has become one of the defining issues in this globalised world. This is a known fact as research has shown that there have been periods of displacement and misplacement across borders and boundaries. The attention given to migration in recent times is quite alarming as individuals are now leaving their countries in search of jobs, medical care and education. There are events which have claimed the lives of so many Africans and despite these happenings, the increase in migration cannot be over emphasized. It is at the backdrop of this that this study sought to investigate the influence of social media reportage on migration to Malaysia. Anchoring this study on technological determinism theory of communication, a sample of 375 respondents were administered questionnaire using a multi stage sampling technique. Findings revealed that respondents are exposed to and are aware of social media stories on the flamboyant lifestyle of Malaysian returnees. Also, respondents show positive attitude to Malaysian migrants who return with a lot wealth in spite of the bad image they have been associated with. Therefore, the study recommended that social media users should be ethical in their reportage in order not to mislead the audience and that respondents should imbibe the culture of self censorship so as to check the attitudes that are formed as a result of exposure to social media messages.