Migration Narratives and Counter-Narratives in the Social Media Sphere
Project Lead
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 Questions
- 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
Publications and media:
Gruzd, A., Li, Y., Mai, P. (2025). Shaping Western Perceptions: The Role of English-language Verified Telegram Channels in Framing the Narratives Around the Russia-Ukraine War, The Journal of Communication Technology (JoCTEC) 7(2), pp. 75-101
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)
Gruzd, A., Mai, P., Taleb, O. (2024). Digital battleground: An examination of anti-refugee discourse on Twitter against Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, First Monday
Past events and conferences:
- TORONTO: The Immigrant Paradox Documentary film Screening, Thinking Out Loud: The Immigrant Paradox Documentary Film Screening, Concordia University, 20 October, 2025
- Presentations at the the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism Canada in Ottawa, Ontario on December 4, 2024.
- "Shaping the Narratives of the Russia-Ukraine War for Western Audiences: An Exploration of English-language Telegram Channels, presented by Gruzd, A., MISDOOM Symposium on Misinformation in Online Media, 2 September, 2024
- The sociability of online antisocial behaviour: A study of how toxic interactions manifest on a Colombian Telegram group, presented by Morales,, P., The International Conference on Social Media & Society, 16 July, 2024
- TORONTO: The Immigrant Paradox Documentary film Screening, Thinking Out Loud: The Immigrant Paradox Documentary Film Screening, Concordia University, 20 October, 2025
Keywords
Social media; social networks; migration narratives; counter-narrative; immigration; social network analysis; text analysis
