From the Syrian to Ukrainian refugee crisis: Tracing the changes in the Italian Twitter discussions through network analysis
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the Italian Twitter landscape during the 2015 Syrian and 2022 Ukrainian refugee crises, with a focus on the evolution of anti-refugee discourse. Through the analysis of 400,000 tweets, we sought to identify attitudinal communities, track changes in user positions, and evaluate the trending potential of the communities. Our findings indicate a shift in opinion leaders within the anti-refugee community from 2015, alongside a persistent ability to influence public discourse. Additionally, while the pro-Ukrainian refugee community has grown, incorporating previously neutral users, it remains loosely connected. Finally, the shifts in attitudes of Italian populist leaders regarding Syrian and Ukrainian refugees are interpreted in light of the changes in user attitudes as observed in the communication networks. This research highlights the importance of computational communication methods for investigating fringe groups absent from mainstream discourse, and underscores the necessity of content moderation and proactive digital activism to counter anti-refugee sentiment online.
Source: Communications
Institution: KU Leuven
Language: English
Topic: Social Media and Politics
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G434337789, DeMiSO – Deservingness of Migrants in Society: Developing a framework to assess perceptions and representations of migrant deservingness, Crises as Opportunities: towards a Level Telling Field on Migration and a New Narrative of Successful Integration, Enhanced migration measures from a multidimensional perspective
OpenAlex ID: W4401517409