A diverse population provides many benefits. At an economic level, it signals a dynamic and competitive economy attracting a multi-skilled and experienced workforce, which attracts business investment. The intellectual, cultural and social impact of that diversity, to which the presence of migrants contributes (IOM, 2019), brings additional tangible and intangible benefits to receiving communities and economies (see Integration and social cohesion).
Migrants are usually spoken of in terms of their worth to a destination country, in terms of both how much they contribute and how much they take from it. A common pro-migration message is that migrants do the jobs that receiving populations do not want and, therefore, are essential to core services and functions. While largely true, the sole use of this narrative for pro-migration policies pins migrants to the margins of society. It also ignores the contribution of migrants at all levels of the economy, and confines migrant contribution to economic functions only as units of labour rather than creators of employment and contributors to the social diversity of society.
Another side of the story that needs to be conveyed is that migration is a key component of sustainable development. Through remittances, investments, innovation and entrepreneurship, migration allows sharing of the benefits of growth between different areas of the world (see Migration and development).
Migrants play an active role as taxpayers and as a counterbalance to aging societies in more developed destination countries. To tell the story of migration properly, both of these roles need to be recognised. Without migrants’ contribution, many countries would not be able to continue social security schemes. In major destination countries, migration levels are too low to address this demographic challenge (De Haas, 2017). With traditional countries of origin themselves becoming destination points, future communication challenges could include envisaging how to attract migrants. Providing information on skills and demographic gaps in different parts of the country, and their tangible socioeconomic impact on communities, are important awareness-raising strategies to educate media and publics on the rationale for migration and migration-related policies.
The narrative of migrants as villains – as criminals and terrorists – is unfortunately recurrent in our societies for a variety of reasons. These include narratives of migrant men as religious fundamentalists and terrorists, and of migrant women as victims of oppression by a culture that denies women fundamental freedoms (EJN, 2017). Migrant or ethnic minority radicalization is regarded either as a result of social exclusion or a process driven by unequal power relationships (IOM, 2017a) (more on Political drivers).
Encouraging other government agencies to be sensitive to migration issues in their communications – a whole-of-government approach – helps to manage perceptions of migrants and migration. Such encouragement can also be extended to the media. For example, crime reporters invited to cover law enforcement operations should know the purpose of the operation and its targets beforehand. If the story is not about migrants or race, visual media coverage should avoid showing migrants or ethnic minorities, so as to avoid creating or confirming false assumptions.
Situations in which migrants retain their identities, language, beliefs, customs and values often translate into public concern that migrants are failing to keep their side of the integration bargain. Integration in this case is confused with assimilation, feeding populist narratives of a threat to, or the loss of, the cultural identity of the majority. Integration issues run across many different government functions, all with different goals, and so the tone of government communications is particularly important to avoid fuelling negative public emotions (see Integration and social cohesion).
International migrants produced more than 9 per cent of global GDP in 2017. Nonetheless, economic concerns over migration, particularly concerning the costs and fiscal impacts of immigrants, equal if not exceed concerns regarding crime and security (IOM, 2017a). Narratives in which migrants are described as threats to jobs, wages and public health are deeply embedded in popular and political culture globally. Demonstrating migrants’ contribution at all levels of the economy through individual stories and facts establishes their links to job creation, investment and national and local economic growth.
In addition, studies have found no systematic association between migration and the importation of infectious diseases (see Health at arrival/country of destination and during integration). Even in times of economic or health crises, when these types of stereotypes and faulty assumptions seem to spread, the basis of such assumptions are mainly “cultural and security-oriented” (Kaufmann, 2017; Bello, 2017b) and not economic nor health related.
Developments in digital technology provide governments with both opportunities and challenges in communicating with target audiences. Smartphone users may account for two thirds of the global population, with numbers growing, but issues of “digital divide” and literacy remain (Frouws and Brenner, 2019). For instance, young migrants from urban areas are more likely to own smartphones and be more technically adept than other groups of migrants (see Youth migration and digital information).
Recent discussions of the interconnections between migration and communications have focused on various ways new information technologies impact many aspects of migration. Migrants predominantly rely on personal and informal channels for information on the labour market, legal conditions, and life in destination countries (Dekker and Engbersen, 2013), rather than on official sources with perceived vested interests. In this regard, the self-publishing facility of digital communications, particularly social media, enables migrants to simultaneously create and share information and build strong networks. It allows migrants to be their own advocates by voicing their experiences, aspirations and concerns.
IOM, 2018.
Various apps and other initiatives, including those developed by migrants themselves, focus on helping migrants adapt to new communities, workplaces and cultures (McAuliffe, 2018). Other apps are used to share knowledge in real time, such as information about the best routes for both regular and irregular migration. As well, social media are used by both human rights activists and anti-immigration groups. The emergence of artificial intelligence is another technological change that will have a profound effect on labour markets and the nature of work, and so will have significant consequences for migrant workers (ibid).
However, the impacts of technology on other aspects of migration are drawing increasing attention and scrutiny. The growing phenomenon of microtargeting persuadable audiences through social media with fake migration news is hard to detect. Fake news or misinformation can be mistakenly accepted by government, politicians, public and media alike. Because migration comprises a substantial component of fake news, particularly around major electoral events, timely, proactive and accurate information to negate it is key. Information should be distributed across multiple channels and platforms to reach all of society. It can reassure migrant populations facing high levels of xenophobia, abate general public concerns and strengthen social cohesion.
Print media and other traditional communications have become far less popular forms by which people access news today, with ever larger numbers of people relying on social media for information. For some groups, radio and TV remain the principle communication tools. On migration, however, social media are increasingly important for individuals, NGOs, commercial actors, media and government (Brekke and Thorbjørnsrud, 2018). Social media innovations allow people to learn about both opportunities and challenges in real time. People may also see movies and TV shows produced in high-income countries that make recruiters’ stories about the riches attainable abroad seem plausible.
Social and digital campaigns are also increasingly used for persuasive communication efforts aimed at changing people’s minds or behaviour. But social media use differs according to age, gender, ethnicity, literacy levels, and across urban/rural regions. Communication campaigns therefore need to factor in aspects such as education levels and smartphone and internet access of target audiences (European Migration Network [EMN], 2016). If parallel platforms are used by migrants with no overlap between them, this information should be integrated into communication strategies and campaigns to ensure more effective outreach.
Social media offer flexible, timely and enduring ways to communicate key information to migrants at every stage of the migration process and to the public, media and other audiences. The simplicity of social media for direct two-way communication makes them ideal for ongoing dialogue with the public, including migrants, and for building bridges with communities. Social media channels must be moderated, however, both to monitor audience interactivity and to ensure government platforms do not facilitate hate speech and xenophobia.
During a crisis, such as a conflict or disaster, clear and timely government information for all of society is essential to save lives, address concerns and avoid tensions. Information should be precise and include essentials such as what to do, where to go, how to access assistance and contact information (see Mobility dimensions of crises). Specific strategies and considerations are required for migrants and require pre-crisis planning and research. These include: