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From the Syrian to Ukrainian refugee crisis: Tracing the changes in the Italian Twitter discussions through network analysis

  • Sercan Kiyak ORCID logo EMAIL logo , David De Coninck ORCID logo , Stefan Mertens and Leen d’Haenens ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: August 13, 2024
Communications
From the journal Communications

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.

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the OPPORTUNITIES project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 101004945, and by the HumMingBird project, under the same program under Grant Agreement No. 870661. David De Coninck is supported by funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) with grant number 1219824N (DeMiSo).

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Published Online: 2024-08-13

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