This panel explores patterns of migration in digital spaces. Social media platforms, or sometimes called Social Networking Site (SNS) or Online Social Network (OSNs), are sites loaded with politics and values through an interplay of technical architectures, platform policies, economic models, and algorithmic curation. However, they are also populated by users, and together shaping and shaped by the activities of said users. Individuals and institutions frequently migrate from one to another, often maintaining a presence on multiple platforms simultaneously. Migration patterns become particularly pronounced during periods of disruption, such as when new platforms gain enough traction to become mainstream or when political climates shift.
For instance, following the acquisition of Twitter (now X), a notable digital mass migration occurred, with users flocking to alternative platforms like Bluesky, Nostr, and Mastodon. Similarly, a movement of users occured after GitHub was acquired by Microsoft. Conversely, users also actively defend their digital spaces. This is evident in instances where they protest platform bans, as seen in the case of TikTok, or when they find ways to circumvent algorithms and technology-based censorship.
We welcome contributions on topics including, but not limited to:
- digital migration of communities
- digital diasporas and their practices
- navigation of digital spaces, cultures and values with newcomers and new users
- migration of institutions to and from platforms based on political values