Framing immigration and welfare discourse: Political communication on Twitter in Denmark and Sweden

The use of either inclusive or exclusive migrant categories in political rhetoric is instrumental. It is determined by peculiarities of immigration discourse in a given society, and implies shaping its attitude by appealing to its members’ identities. Therefore, differences in attitude towards various immigrant groups can be interpreted as an outcome of discursive framing of social reality, which is implemented through political communication by the use of convenient narratives. In this article, we take a closer look at how immigration and welfare debate is framed and communicated online in Denmark and Sweden. We discuss the initial findings of an ongoing interdisciplinary empirical study on political narratives, which are maintained and shaped by four political parties that dominate the political landscape in Denmark and Sweden. We identify political narration patterns on Twitter, analyse quantitative and qualitative features of online political communication, discuss its content and dynamics. The study aims to evaluate how resilient or flexible these narratives are, when parties and their audiences face specific local and global political challenges.