IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/nonpfo/v16y2025i1p79-109n1005.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Policy Actors’ Struggle for Attention: The Role of Peer Networks in the Migration Discourse on Twitter (X)

Author

Listed:
  • Hanke Sara

    (Institute for Social Science, 123173 University of Stuttgart , Stuttgart, Germany)

  • Sicakkan Hakan G.

    (Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway)

  • Van Wolleghem Pierre Georges

    (Comparative Politics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway)

  • Heiberger Raphael Heiko

    (Institute for Social Science, 123173 University of Stuttgart , Stuttgart, Germany)

Abstract

Policy actors (PAs) like nongovernmental organizations, political parties or governmental institutions strategically communicate on social media to gain attention and thus influence the public agenda. We argue that networks of PAs engaged in the same issues (i.e., a PA’s peer network) are crucial to attracting the interest of a broad audience. Drawing on network theory, we posit that (i) ideological homophily, and (ii) the centrality and embeddedness in a PA’s peer network increase the attention received from all Twitter (now X) users. We investigate these premises by analyzing the European migration discourse on Twitter (2014–2020). The results of our study reveal that the centrality of PAs in their peer networks and ideologically similar relations considerably increase attention from the whole Twittersphere. These findings provide strong evidence that a PA’s role in its organizational peer network on social media governs the attention received in the overall discourse.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanke Sara & Sicakkan Hakan G. & Van Wolleghem Pierre Georges & Heiberger Raphael Heiko, 2025. "Policy Actors’ Struggle for Attention: The Role of Peer Networks in the Migration Discourse on Twitter (X)," Nonprofit Policy Forum, De Gruyter, vol. 16(1), pages 79-109.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:nonpfo:v:16:y:2025:i:1:p:79-109:n:1005
    DOI: 10.1515/npf-2023-0126
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/npf-2023-0126
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/npf-2023-0126?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:nonpfo:v:16:y:2025:i:1:p:79-109:n:1005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.