Analysis of the discursive characterization of migratory stories on twitter: The aquarius case

Abstract

Introduction: The controversy that emerged around the rescuing and welcoming of the migrants who were on board the Aquarius was prominently reflected on twitter. Objectives and methodology: The objective of this article is to analyze the representations made around migration on this social network based upon the study of the Aquarius case. To do that, we have monitored, for four months, around two million tweets related to the Aquarius term, the influence Twitter has to create and make hoaxes go viral, and the presence of discursive strategies promoting hate speech. Conclusions: We observed that a stereotyping process of migrants occurred in many of the tweets posted, as well as the tendency of emotional aspects prevailing over rational argumentation. Additionally, at least eleven hoaxes related to the coverage of the case were identified.