TikTok trails: Decoding migrant smugglers' visual narratives in migration advertising

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• MPC: Migration Policy Centre

Join Luigi Achilli as he explores how social media platforms shape shared narrative frames surrounding irregular journeys.

In this hybrid event, Assistant Professor Luigi Achilli will examine the messages migrant smugglers employ on TikTok to advertise irregular migration services. Based on a paper that analyses 117 videos posted between January 2023 and April 2024, he will uncover how smugglers construct narratives emphasising safety, trust, and even defiance, in stark contrast to securitised and victim-centric portrayals by mainstream actors such as governments and NGOs. Employing visual social semiotics, the paper interrogates the interplay of imagery, captions, and audiovisual elements, highlighting how these narratives resonate with potential migrants and establish shared narrative frames around irregular journeys.

This analysis contributes to debates on the decentralisation of narrative power in migration governance, demonstrating how social media platforms challenge traditional frameworks and give rise to alternative narrative regimes of mobility.