Migration is a hot topic and one that has defined the 20th and 21st Centuries but it is troublesome to collect accurate data about migration patterns. This is where social media can help.
Social media collects data about location; anyone who uses any of the platforms will have signed up and provided an address. This data has now been made available by Facebook and allows the visual representation of movement by users of the social media giant. It is not infallible but it does provide records of location from countries where Facebook use is allowed and that has enabled more accurate forecasting of the translocation of people across the globe.
If you would like to explore the data try the interactive tool from the New York Times and read about the process of compiling the data here.
This kind of information is not just fascinating. It is useful. It allows for better deployment of resources and better decision-making by governments, NGOs and others who work with migrant communities. It is another tool to help us understand how people move across the globe.
See more:
Ceyda Oskay at The Migration Museum
Incidentally:
People, of course, are not the only migrants in the world. Each year millions of creatures migrate to and from feeding and breeding grounds. This beautiful animation shows the Spring migration of birds on the North American content (with a focus on the United States). For more information about how this was made, and much more about bird migration in the US, head over to BirdCast site (below).
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