Project Overview
This project investigates how friendships and relationships form through participation in social infrastructure, including physical spaces such as parks, markets, cafes, libraries, and churches where people interact. These spaces encourage shared activities, leading to the formation of lasting connections. Social infrastructure fosters mutual support and collaboration, with its roots in studies of public spaces, “third places,” and community organizations. Strong social infrastructure promotes cross-boundary integration, especially when it attracts diverse groups and fosters civility.
Research shows that community organizations act as hubs for boundary-crossing friendships by drawing in a variety of participants. Understanding how relationships form in these settings enhances our knowledge of social integration. A key focus is on “mediated social infrastructure,” which refers to the formal structuring of interactions, often seen in community organizations. This concept builds on the idea of organizational embeddedness in sociology.
Mediated social infrastructure can be exemplified by organized activities like a mothers’ group at a park or a quiz night at a bar. These structured, repeated interactions, guided by the goals of community organizations, help foster meaningful connections, similar to situational mechanisms for friendship formation in psychology. Studying these dynamics provides insights into segregation and integration in social spaces.
Research Questions
- How do mediated processes within social infrastructures contribute to friendship formation and integration?
- When do mediated processes contribute to friendships that cross boundaries of language, ethnicity, immigration status, religious differences, age and gender?
Research Design and Methodology
The research design adopts a comparative case study approach informed by community-engaged research practices. It employs mixed methods, including in-depth interviews, digital storytelling, and longitudinal qualitative research.
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
- Principal Investigator: Sean Lauer (Professor, Sociology
- Project Co-Leader: Yue Qian (Associate Professor, Sociology)
- Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)
Research Assistants
- Gabrielle Abando (Master’s Student, Sociology, UBC)
- Frankie Cabahug (Master’s Student, Social Work, UBC)
- Ka Po (Capri) Kong (Doctoral Student, Sociology, UBC)
- Teodora Rawsthornes (Research Assistant, Sociology, UBC)
- Tori Shucheng Yang (PhD Candidate, Sociology, UBC)
Outputs
"Tao Po!: Spatial Workings of a Filipino Immigrant Hub" brief, The Infrastructure and Integration Lab, December 1, 2025
“‘Efficiency Trap’: Can online blind dating help users find a partner quickly?” WeChat, June 3, 2025. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jf7XSzGIw3W_wwiIzMn6cA
Cosmopolitan social service organizations: A scoping review. iSquared Lab. May 2025. https://isquaredlab.ca/publications/
Cai, M., Qian, Y., & Hu, Y. (2025). The efficiency paradox: A temporal lens into online dating among Chinese immigrants in Canada. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 42(8), 2167–2187. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251339257
"Making Friends in Community Organizations," presented by Sean Lauer, BC Neighbourhood Houses Conference, Victoria, Canada, October 22, 2025
"Intersections of belonging: Friendship dynamics among Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants," presented by Yang, T., & Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Chicago, United States, August 11, 2025
"Roots: Here, There, or Nowhere? Transmitting Diaspora Identity in Hong Konger Families," presented by Capri Kong, Canadian Sociological Association, Toronto, Canada, June 9 2025
"Cosmopolitan Organizations: A place-based approach to integration," presented by Abando, G., Cabahug, F., Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association, Toronto, Canada, June 9, 2025
"Spaces, Social Capital, Culture and Community Building: The Case of Filipinos in British Columbia," presented by Abanda, G, Place and Power: BC Studies Conference, Vancouver, Canada, April 1, 2025
"Immigrant Settlement Services in Cosmopolitan Organizations: Service Provider Experiences," presented by Lauer, S., Canadian Ethnic Studies, Edmonton, Canada, November 11, 2024
“Immigrant experiences in cosmopolitan organizations: A scoping review,” presented by Cabahug, F. and Lauer, S., Canadian Association of Social Work Educators Annual Conference, Montreal, June 21, 2024.
“Intersections of belonging: Friendship dynamics among Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants in Canada and the US,” presented by Yang, T., and Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, June 21, 2024
“Immigrant friendships and social integration: A study of friendship networks and sense of belonging,” presented by Kong, C., and Lauer, S., Immigrant Social Networks Conference, Montreal, June 18, 2024
“Tao Po!: An exploration of the role of Filipino-Canadian neighbourhoods in the anchoring and cultivating Filipino-Canadian community,” presented by Abando, G. I., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, June 10, 2024
"Differences that Matter: Friendship Dynamics Among Chinese LGBTQ+ Migrants in North America," presented by Yang, T., and Lauer, S., CMS Annual Research Conference, Vancouver, Canada, May 6, 2024
Rolfsen, E. (2024, February 12). Dating in the digital age: How online dating changes our partner selection. UBC News. https://news.ubc.ca/2024/02/online-dating-partner-selection/
CSA Outstanding Graduating Student Award, Canadian Sociological Association, awarded to Gabrielle Abando, June 18, 2024
Project Status
This project is currently in the Data Collection and Writing phases.
Keywords
Belonging; community; friendship; migrant integration; social infrastructure
Featured News
This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
