Visual Framing and Migrant Discourses in Social Media: The Story of Idomeni on Instagram

Abstract

The refugee and migration crisis triggered transnational media discourses that included social networking media. Platforms such as Instagram became sites for political communication and framing, especially in the form of visuals that shape the crisis’ imagery. This chapter investigates how Instagram served as a window to the crisis; more specifically, it applies digital methods for collecting data on relevant visuals uploaded at the refugee camp in Idomeni in March 2016. The sample covers one week of activity and includes 367 images. The quantitative-qualitative content analysis covers hashtags and images for mapping the framing of the crisis on Instagram. The chapter illustrates how Instagram is a site for political online discourses and how a combination of digital and conventional research methods allows to explore framing practices in the crisis context.