Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms
The article builds upon critical border studies for the study of the European migration crisis that take into account the digital, both in terms of telecommunications infrastructure and media platforms. In putting forward an approach to migration studies with digital devices, here the emphasis is sh...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2018-03-01
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| Series: | Social Media + Society |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118764427 |
| _version_ | 1818334169294438400 |
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| author | Natalia Sánchez-Querubín Richard Rogers |
| author_facet | Natalia Sánchez-Querubín Richard Rogers |
| author_sort | Natalia Sánchez-Querubín |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article builds upon critical border studies for the study of the European migration crisis that take into account the digital, both in terms of telecommunications infrastructure and media platforms. In putting forward an approach to migration studies with digital devices, here the emphasis is shifted from “bordering” to “routing.” First, the current analytical situation is sketched as one where the “connective” route is contrasted to the “securitised” one, made by European policy and monitoring software. Subsequently, we ask, how are connective migrant routes being made into accounts and issues in social media? Two case studies are presented, each describing routing in terms of the distinctive accounts made of migrant journeying. In the first, routes are seen from the point of view of its curation in Getty Images, and in particular of the images privileged by its social layer. In the image collection, the “sanitised route” (as we call it) gradually leads to a soft landing in Europe, cleansed of anti-refugee sentiment. In the second, we ask how camps and borders are problematized from the point of view of the traveler using TripAdvisor. In the “interrupted tourist route,” would-be visitors are concerned with a Europe made unsafe, thereby rerouting their own journeys on the basis of social media commenting. We conclude with reflection about the advantages of employing social media in migration and border studies for the study of “media journeys” as routes from multiple vantage points, developing the idea that route-work also can be understood as platform-work. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:03:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f79ef139a9cb4b0a96d11d992c566efe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3051 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T14:03:15Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Media + Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-f79ef139a9cb4b0a96d11d992c566efe2022-12-21T23:42:40ZengSAGE PublishingSocial Media + Society2056-30512018-03-01410.1177/2056305118764427Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and PlatformsNatalia Sánchez-QuerubínRichard RogersThe article builds upon critical border studies for the study of the European migration crisis that take into account the digital, both in terms of telecommunications infrastructure and media platforms. In putting forward an approach to migration studies with digital devices, here the emphasis is shifted from “bordering” to “routing.” First, the current analytical situation is sketched as one where the “connective” route is contrasted to the “securitised” one, made by European policy and monitoring software. Subsequently, we ask, how are connective migrant routes being made into accounts and issues in social media? Two case studies are presented, each describing routing in terms of the distinctive accounts made of migrant journeying. In the first, routes are seen from the point of view of its curation in Getty Images, and in particular of the images privileged by its social layer. In the image collection, the “sanitised route” (as we call it) gradually leads to a soft landing in Europe, cleansed of anti-refugee sentiment. In the second, we ask how camps and borders are problematized from the point of view of the traveler using TripAdvisor. In the “interrupted tourist route,” would-be visitors are concerned with a Europe made unsafe, thereby rerouting their own journeys on the basis of social media commenting. We conclude with reflection about the advantages of employing social media in migration and border studies for the study of “media journeys” as routes from multiple vantage points, developing the idea that route-work also can be understood as platform-work.https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118764427 |
| spellingShingle | Natalia Sánchez-Querubín Richard Rogers Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms Social Media + Society |
| title | Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms |
| title_full | Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms |
| title_fullStr | Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms |
| title_short | Connected Routes: Migration Studies with Digital Devices and Platforms |
| title_sort | connected routes migration studies with digital devices and platforms |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118764427 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nataliasanchezquerubin connectedroutesmigrationstudieswithdigitaldevicesandplatforms AT richardrogers connectedroutesmigrationstudieswithdigitaldevicesandplatforms |