Migration narratives and counter-narratives in the social media sphere
Project Lead(s)
Team Members
(external link) Philip Mai (external link) , Ashika Niraula, Yisheng Li, Anthony Clements, Tiago Ribeiro (external link) , Michael Cowan, William Hollingshead, Toral Pandya (external link) , Junyuan Lin, Phil Triadafilopoulos
Sub-theme
Dominant and alternative narratives on immigration in Canada
Projects in this sub-theme examine how social media and ADTs influence politics, including immigration politics and public attitudes, focusing on Canada, its migrant and diaspora communities, as well as other countries and transnational public spheres, narratives, and discourses.
Objective
This project seeks to identify and study the rise of authoritarian populism and the overall polarization as exhibited on and amplified by social media, with particular focus on narratives and counter-narratives related to migration.
Research question(s)
- What types of migration-related narratives are shared on different social media platforms?
- How are social media platforms used by different interest groups to influence policy debates around immigration?
- How do immigrants use social media to build connections between their home and host cultures and express their identities?
Methodology
This project will use a mixed-methods approach including social network analysis, automated text analysis, surveys, and online experiments. This study will collect and analyze publicly available posts from popular social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, YouTube, and Telegram.
Status
The project is ongoing, with data collection and analysis already underway. The team is analyzing observed data from social media, such as Reddit and X, to better understand the prevalence and factors affecting the virality of mis/disinformation content related to human mobility in Canada and abroad.
Expected completion: August 2026
Outcomes
Past events and conferences:
Presentations at the the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism Canada (external link) in Ottawa, Ontario on December 4, 2024.
In the media:
- Borders & Belonging (podcast) “False narratives with real consequences: The impact of social media disinformation on migration policy” by Maggie Perzyna (January 14, 2025 – Interview with Anatoliy Gruzd)
Key words
Social media; social networks; migration narratives; counter-narrative; immigration; social network analysis; text analysis
