The conventions and politics of migration data visualizations
The conventions and politics of migration data visualizations
What visual features characterize online migration data visualizations, and what do they suggest for the politics of representing migration and informing public attitudes? Audiences increasingly encounter quantitative information through visualization, especially in digital environments. Yet visualizations have political dimensions that manifest themselves through “conventions,” or shared symbols and practices conveying meaning. Using content analysis, I identify patterns of representation in a sample of 277 migration data visualizations scraped from Google Images. I find evidence of several conventions including appeals to objectivity and traceability as well as perspectives and units of analysis centered on states—particularly higher income migrant destinations. Then, by locating my analysis within the growing field of digital migration studies, I argue these conventions potentially shape public attitudes and understandings about migrants, and contribute to broader migration politics involving categorization and quantification that have relevance both on- and off-line.
1313-1334
Allen, William L.
f0d4731a-81c1-4886-b11c-74dfa412bb97
4 June 2023
Allen, William L.
f0d4731a-81c1-4886-b11c-74dfa412bb97
Allen, William L.
(2023)
The conventions and politics of migration data visualizations.
New Media & Society, 25 (6), .
(doi:10.1177/14614448211019300).
Abstract
What visual features characterize online migration data visualizations, and what do they suggest for the politics of representing migration and informing public attitudes? Audiences increasingly encounter quantitative information through visualization, especially in digital environments. Yet visualizations have political dimensions that manifest themselves through “conventions,” or shared symbols and practices conveying meaning. Using content analysis, I identify patterns of representation in a sample of 277 migration data visualizations scraped from Google Images. I find evidence of several conventions including appeals to objectivity and traceability as well as perspectives and units of analysis centered on states—particularly higher income migrant destinations. Then, by locating my analysis within the growing field of digital migration studies, I argue these conventions potentially shape public attitudes and understandings about migrants, and contribute to broader migration politics involving categorization and quantification that have relevance both on- and off-line.
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allen-2021-the-conventions-and-politics-of-migration-data-visualizations
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Published date: 4 June 2023
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Local EPrints ID: 500011
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500011
ISSN: 1461-4448
PURE UUID: 3a12bed2-44b3-4a45-b843-c5ac678fce4f
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Date deposited: 11 Apr 2025 16:37
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:43
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William L. Allen
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