Narrating Irregular Migration on TikTok: A Content Analysis of Algerian Harraga Route Narratives and Their Communicative Framing Exploratory content analysis of a purposive corpus of 44 TikTok videos

Abstract

This exploratory study examines how irregular migration associated with Algeria is narrated on TikTok and how the platform’s short-video form organizes the migration journey into recurrent symbolic and narrative units. The analysis focuses on the routes, means of crossing, destination references, depictions of departure and arrival, representations of ghorba (life away from home), expressions of success or hardship, and communicative framings through which Harraga migration becomes visible and narratable. Rather than testing whether TikTok causes migration attitudes or intentions, the study treats the platform as a mediated environment in which migration is selected, compressed, emotionally charged, and circulated. A purposive content corpus was constructed from four search groups collected through Apify. The initial retrieval produced 637 raw records; after deduplication by Video ID, 539 unique videos remained. Automated screening and staged manual review produced 158 candidate cases, from which 44 videos were retained for final analysis after direct review and application of explicit relevance criteria. Descriptive analysis shows that maritime or speedboat-related Harraga content constitutes the largest thematic cluster (23 videos, 52.3%), followed by Balkan land routes (10, 22.7%) and direct Harraga discourse or documentation (8, 18.2%). Qualitative analysis identifies competing but overlapping narrative models: migration as a route, speed and crossing as spectacle, arrival and joy as aspirational signs, ghorba as the social and emotional cost of mobility, and hardship or return as counter-narratives. Engagement is highly unequal, indicating that visibility within the selected corpus is concentrated in a small number of highly performing cases. The study concludes that TikTok should not be conceptualized as a single directional force that either encourages or discourages irregular migration. Its communicative significance lies in the coexistence of frames that make migration simultaneously visible, imaginable, desirable, risky, costly, and contestable. Future audience research is needed to determine how users interpret and act upon these competing narratives.