Migration and social media: the closure of Italian harbours

In recent years, immigration has become a recurring theme in the news and in the public debate, widely discussed also on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. A recent survey (European Security Observatory, 2017) highlights how the immigration issue is associated with alarmist tones, amplifying feelings of fear. Digital media have increased the possibilities for participation, while decreasing the barriers to access information (Shirky, 2011). At the same time, the diminished importance of gatekeeper figures has led to an increase in the spreading of poorly verifiable information (Mocanu et al, 2014). In this context, the paper analyzes the public opinion reaction to the decision of the Italian Ministry of the Interior to close the Italian harbors to ships carrying migrants. Following a previous analysis carried out on Twitter (Mortara & Fragapane 2019), the aim of the paper is to monitor the evolution of the debate on social media, considering the events that have taken place from the Aquarius story up to the recent SeaWatch story.