Care of the self as a spatial practice : the digital tools supporting physical activities of migrant domestic workers

Abstract

This paper explores the collective mediated fitness practices of low-income migrant women in Hong Kong as practices of the Care of the Self. Little is known of how the widespread availability of smartphones and social media has changed the ways MDWs organise their social gatherings across time and diverse urban spaces. To explore the impacts of smartphone technologies on the spatiotemporal structuring of these care practices, we focus on three highly visible fitness groups: Zumba dance, yoga, and martial arts. Through semi-structured interviews and content analysis of MDWs’ social media activities, we analyse how digital tools support the operation of collective care practices, their presence in the urban space, and the relations between these activities and citizenship.