Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and vocal advocate for immigration reform, unknowingly developed a vital system that helps Mexicans and other immigrants broadcast their journeys as they relocate from their native land to the United States.

Facebook, a platform where millions of Mexicans regularly connect, is playing host to the new trend of border-crossing documentation, where individuals snap photos of themselves as they attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, turning what is usually considered a self-involved act into digital activism.

Lourdes (an alias), a 25-year-old Mexican woman, posted a photo of herself on Facebook earlier this year, which showed her with camping gear as she moved through Mexicali, the town that borders Calexico, California. Keeping a record of her time on the road, she planned to cross the border for the first time, without authorization, to join her girlfriend.

"Friends and family say a prayer for me, and my three friends — in a few minutes we are going to try [to cross]," she wrote on Facebook. "Please, give me your best wishes and prayers, I will thank you with my heart, and thank you God for letting me make it this far, and I ask that you don't forget me, guide us."

Her prayer requests were met with support and encouragement from home, wishing her safety and good health. While on the road, she made sure to update family with images of her smiling face and stories of the crossing.

The trend has jumped from Mexican migrants to others in Central America, who've taken to documenting their trips as they travel north to the United States on "The Beast," a freight train that carries thousands of Central American stowaways toward the U.S. border. The Beast is often seen in the background of photos, along with other travelers making their way to the U.S. The once incognito mission of illegally entering the United States is now being thoroughly detailed via Facebook-friendly photos and statuses that proclaim, "Ready for the Road, friends."

"Some of the most compelling stories about illegal immigration are not in a book, a movie, or even told by a reporter: they are captured by young immigrants themselves, in Facebook posts, photographs, and yes, selfies," said Fusion writers Jasmine Garsd and Encarni Pindado.

However, not everyone travels with a cellphone to capture their voyage as they migrate from native lands and poverty — which makes posting online more difficult. But some manage to get their hands on digital cameras, and post updates at internet cafes along the way, informing the world of the joys and desperations of the adventure.

Many who expressed enthusiasm at the beginning of their journeys became anxious due to frequent and failed attempts to cross the border. Lourdes, who beamed with hope during her initial border crossing, was later exhausted, scared, and limping after three failed attempts.

"My love, I felt something," Lourdes said in a video sent to her girlfriend. "You know I never give up. But I had this premonition ... I didn't feel right ... One person scared us. He was really scared, and he scared us ... and I hurt my foot. So I've decided to head back. I'm sorry, but this is not the end. I'm just telling you, these guys aren't going to make it. We still have four more nights to go. My love, I'm sorry, I love you. I love you."

The Beast is routinely assaulted by drug cartels and kidnappers, who often violate and victimize passengers. La Rumorosa, a mountainous area where migrants are frequently assaulted, is an area where many attempt to travel alone believing that large groups attract immigration police.

Lourdes' Facebook posts captured her despair while encountering these forces. For every image of her smiling and celebrating, there was an image of her standing stoically in the middle of the desert, or lying in bed in a migrant shelter on the border, where she celebrated her birthday. After leaving Mexicali, Lourdes didn't post for months, leaving many to speculate where she'd gone, if she'd been hurt, if she was dead. But, months later, she reemerged online to say that she had safely made it to the United States after seven attempts.

Beyond wanting to be with her girlfriend, Lourdes stated that her motivation for crossing was to help people understand that "it's not a crime to try and get ahead. It's not a crime to work to give your children something better. I don't know why people don't understand our poverty, our sadness. We deserve respect; we deserve a chance to work, and to live well, and to study."