Migracije na Twitterju (X): komunikacijska razmerja v hibridni medijski sferi

The monograph Migration on Twitter (X): Communication Relations in the Hybrid Media Sphere examines how migration discourse in Slovenia was constructed on Twitter during the 2015–2016 migration “crisis.” It is theoretically grounded in the hybrid media system model, complemented by agenda-setting theory and network theory. It also adopts a critical media perspective that enables the simultaneous analysis of user practices and the structural affordances of the platform (e.g., brevity of posts, retweeting, virality, and user anonymity). Methodologically, it adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative (social network analysis) and qualitative (critical discourse analysis of posts) methods. An analysis of more than 30,000 posts and 3,000 users shows that the most active users were predominantly anonymous profiles, while the most influential actors were “right-wing” media outlets and representatives of parliamentary politics. Critical discourse analysis of the posts revealed the dominance of the securitization framework, which was intertwined with moral panic, the politics of fear, and the construction of a state of emergency, alongside the presence of less viral pro-migrant and humanitarian discourses. The analysis of hyperlinks identified three patterns of virality (“asymmetric”, “limited”, and “consistent”), while the retweet network analysis revealed the presence of six major user communities. The study provides one of the few and relatively comprehensive insights into digital debates on migration in Slovenia. Moreover, it offers conceptual starting points for researching migration and other socially relevant issues in the digital media sphere.