Mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis At Danish Refugee Council

1. Who is the Danish Refugee Council?
Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included into hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.

About MMC’s work in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) is part of, and governed by, DRC. MMC engages in data collection, research, analysis and policy development on mixed migration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our primary objectives are to fill the knowledge gap on mixed migration in the region; to inform programming for refugees and migrants, particularly in the area of protection; and to inform policy-making around the rights and protection of people on the move. MMC’s flagship data collection project ‘4Mi’ currently operates in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru, focusing on people leaving Venezuela, as well as refugees and migrants from across Latin America and the Caribbean, and extra continentals, who are heading towards North America. This consultancy is part of a research project conducted by the MMC on the use of social media by migrants and refugees in Latin America and the Caribbean.

2. Purpose of the consultancy
The Mixed Migration Centre based in Colombia seeks proposals from a Consultant or consultancy network to design and conduct a mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis.

3. Background
Social media is one of the main sources of information for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, before and during their journey1. An important proportion of them seek information from friends, family, and other migrants through social networks. Few of them mention using information from official sources to inform or to make decisions about their migration2. Social media is also being used by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to get in contact with smugglers networks, who promote and sell their services using these platforms3.
Furthermore, a huge quantity of data is shared on social networks by people on the move. Studies show that, in some cases, it could be faster to obtain figures on mixed movement dynamics through social media monitoring, than through the analysis of traditional sources, such as government statistics4. Social media could also be used by researchers to monitor anti-immigrants’ sentiments and observe dynamics and tendencies of mixed movements across the region5.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, humanitarian actors are facing difficulties to reach their population of interest and access up-to-date data on mixed movements dynamics. Research using data shared on social media could thus be used to:

1. Help to reach the population of interest and develop awareness strategies on protection risks or knowledge dissemination.
2. Protect the population against false or misleading information, and human trafficking networks.
3. Monitor mixed movements dynamics (routes, destinations, risk exposure) and support early warning systems.
   For all the above, clear ethical standards are also needed to protect users’ data and privacy, to highlight potential risks in the use and management of the information obtain, and in general ensure Do Not Harm interventions. They also need to develop methodological tools to do the analysis of the information, following robust scientific procedures and respecting those ethical standards.

4. Objective of the consultancy
This research project seeks to better understand how Venezuelans refugees and migrants use social media before and during the journey and how humanitarian actors could, while adhering to high ethical standards, use social media platforms and posts as data sources in mixed migration research.
This project aims to inform policies on mixed movements dynamics and aim to consolidate an ethical approach to use a rich data source for improving our understanding of mixed migration dynamics.

The Consultant will be required to:

1. Provide humanitarian sector legal and ethical guidelines for mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis.
2. Study the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in utilizing social media before and during their journey.
3. Design a framework of analysis for mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis.

Specific research questions

1.

What ethical, legal and methodological standards should be guiding the use of social media data to conductor mixed movements research and communicating with communities (CwC)?

• What are the ethical risks of using data from social media platforms in mixed migration research?
• What are the existing minimum standards? Is there an existing legal and/or ethical framework for data protection and privacy protection of information obtained from social media?
• What are the lessons learned and recommendations (on ethical guidelines and methodologies) from previous similar projects?
• Which data could be used? How? Which strict guidelines and procedures should be defined, to ensure best ethical and methodological practices, and mitigate risks?
• Which data we shouldn’t use, in absolutely?

2. What is the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in using social media, in LAC?

a) Profile of users and type of social media used
– What are the profiles of Venezuelan refugees and migrants who use social media, before and during their journey? What are the differences with the overall population?
– Which platforms and type of contents do they use to prepare their journey? How the profiles of users differ for different platforms?
– Who are the main actors providing information on those platforms?
b) Role of social media in decision making process
– What is the perceived role of social media in decision-making?
– What are the experiences and practices of people on the move with social media?
– Which sources and media of information do they trust?

3. How could humanitarian actors use social media to reach people on the move and conduct research on mixed movement dynamics?

– Which tools and methodological practices (including analytical frameworks) already exist to collect and analyze data (particularly related to mixed migration movements) through social media?
– What kind of methodology could be used to use social media data to inform mixed migration research on routes, risks, interactions with smugglers, destinations, social networks, etc?
– What are the advantages and disadvantages of these tools?
– What are the expected results of this analysis? What should be the expectations in regard to the use of social media data, to inform policies and programing?

5. Scope of work and Methodology
The Consultant will be required to prepare a detailed methodology and work plan indicating how the objectives of the project will be achieved, and the support required from MMC.
The research is conceptualized in 3 phases. The Consultant will be required to conduct the following activities.

• Phase 1: Ethical use of social media for research

Activity 1.1: State of art: social media, mixed movements, legal and ethical issues
The Consultant will realize a state of art on the use of social media for migration research, with a focus on legal and ethical issues. The Consultant will produce one synthesis document, based on different activities:

• Overview of projects on mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis (in LAC and other regions).
• Overview of the ethical and data protection risks of social media data analysis for research (secondary sources review and interview with experts).
• Interview of researchers and experts on the ethical use of social media for research purpose (and specifically on mixed migration).
• Synthesis of the lessons learned by the identified research projects of social media data analysis.

Activity 1.2: Guideline and recommendations
Based on the state of art, the Consultant will consolidate an operational guideline to provide a clear procedure on how to use social media for mixed movements research.
The Consultant will realize a workshop with the experts interviewed during the activity 1.1, to validate the guideline.
The final document will include operational guideline on how to conduct research on mixed movements through social media analysis and how to collect and analyze data shared by refugees and migrants on social media, protecting their data and privacy.

• Phase 2: Use of social media by Venezuelan refugees and migrants

To understand the knowledge, attitude, and practice of social media use by Venezuelan refugees and migrants, the Consultant will analyse qualitative data collected with key informants and refugees and migrants by MMC staff in countries of interest (Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica).

Activity 2.1: Qualitative data analysis

The qualitative data consist of:
a) Interviews with 10 to 12 Key Informants (Venezuelan refugees and migrants on the move).
b) Focus groups (6), conducted by MMC/R4V, with Venezuelan refugees and migrants, on access and use of information by Venezuelan refugees and migrants before and during the journey.

Activity 2.2: Quantitative data collection and analysis
The Consultant will analyse 4Mi quantitative data (one dataset) on access and use of information by Venezuelan refugees and migrants before and during the journey, as well as quantitative data (one dataset) from a regional survey, co-designed with R4V, on the use of social media by Venezuelans on the move to North America.
Based on secondary sources and the qualitative and quantitative analysis, the Consultant will produce two articles on the use of social media by Venezuelan refugees and migrants before and during the journey, how it impacts their decision making, and the risks they face online.

• Phase 3: Mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis

Based on the results of phase 1 and 2, the Consultant will design an analytical framework that will enable researchers to collect and analyses data from social media platforms for the purposes of better understanding Venezuelan mixed migration dynamics.
The Consultant will also develop a research methodology to implement a mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis.

Activity 3.1: Design of an analytical framework

Activity 3.2: Pilot on Venezuelan mixed movements
Following a strict ethical guideline (developed in phase 1) and the analytical framework (Activity 3.1), the Consultant will design a research protocol and conduct a pilot on Venezuelan mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis. Research topics and specific research questions will be defined in collaboration with MMC LAC, depending on the results of Phase 2.
The Consultant will produce one document of analysis and one article, on one research topic and its specific research questions, based on the result of Activity 3.1 and Activity 3.2.
Activity 3.3. Presentation and knowledge transfer
Across the three previous activities, the Consultant or Consultancy company will endeavor to transfer knowledge within the MMC team through frequent meetings and documentation of processes.

6. Deliverables
The Consultant will submit the following deliverables as mentioned below:

Phase
Expected deliverables
Indicative description tasks
Maximum expected timeframe

Phase 1.a State of the art
1 State of art on the use of social media for migration research, with a focus on legal and ethical issues.

1 month

Phase 1.b Guideline
1 operational guideline to provide a clear procedure on how to use social media for mixed movements research (and specifically for Venezuelan mixed movements).

The Consultant will prepare a list of experts to interview.

MMC will validate the workshop methodology.

The Consultant will prepare a first draft of the guideline and will receive feedback from MMC before submitting the final version.

2 months

Phase 3

Articles on the use of social media by Venezuelan refugees and migrants

2 articles on the use of social media by Venezuelan refugees and migrants before and during the journey, how it impacts their decision making, and the risks they face online.

The Consultant will consult MMC LAC, to define the specific topics of each article.

MMC will validate the article outlines.

The Consultant will prepare first draft reports and will receive feedback from MMC before submitting the final versions.

3 months

Phase 3.

Pilot of mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis

1 document of analysis and 1 article based on the mixed movements research through social media data collection and analysis.
The Consultant or Consultancy company will endeavor to transfer knowledge within the MMC team through frequent meetings and documentation of processes.
6 months

Other:

• Deliverables in English
• MMC will have access to exported analysis file as well as any relevant coding documents.

Criteria for validation of the deliverables:

• The deliverables will comprehensively assemble relevant findings from the interviews and cover all agreed themes.
• The deliverables will be written in clear, concise English.
• All relevant analysis tools/documents/files will be shared with MMC LAC.
• Any other criteria to be defined during the methodological guidance session with the MMC LAC team that will take place at the start of the consultancy.

The final products will be reviewed for quality and final payment will be made upon submission of satisfactory deliverables. The consultant will provide regular updates during the assignment.

7. Duration, timeline, and payment
The total expected duration to complete the assignment will be no more than 6 months, with the first two phases not surpassing 3 months.
The Consultant will make a proposal for the overall budget, with the first two phases not surpassing EUR$12.000. MMC requests for a detailed budget to be provided with the proposal.

1. Proposed Composition of Team
   MMC is looking for a consultant or preferably a consultancy network that can develop the above deliverables. These essential and desirable requirements are as follow:

9. Eligibility, qualification, and experience required
Essential:

• Previous experience in the management and use of social media data for humanitarian or development projects/programs. This experience should include social media data other than Twitter and have resulted in the production of at least one research paper/report.
• Experience in research through social media data collection and analysis
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• The Consultant, or at least one person in the consultancy team should have expertise in the development of methodological and ethical frameworks for research.

Desirable:

• Specific experience in mixed migration research and/or projects.
• Expertise in the development of methodological and ethical frameworks for research through social media data collection and analysis.

Language requirements: – Written and spoken fluency in English and Spanish.

10. Technical supervision
The selected Consultant will work under the supervision of:

• Simon Tomasi, MMC LAC Project Manager.

11. Location and support
The Consultant will provide her/his own computer and mobile telephone. The consultancy will be home-based.

12. Submission process
Interested applicants who meet the required profile are invited to submit an offer including the following, by Wednesday 18 January :

1. CV of the consultant (or consultants) that spells out her/his qualifications and experience.
2. A brief technical proposal in English explaining suitability for the role, demonstrating understanding of the objectives and deliverables, outlining a methodology / overall approach, and providing examples of similar work completed in the past as well as reference contacts.
3. A financial proposal showing daily rate, number of days to be devoted to the assignment and total cost of the financial offer.

13. Evaluation of bids
Only those shortlisted will be contacted for an interview with the panel to ensure their understanding of the consultancy services

1. Confidentiality
   All information presented, obtained and produced is to be treated as DRC’s property and is considered as confidential for all other purposes than what is outlined in the ToRs. The selected consultant is upon signing of the contract required to sign a confidentiality agreement. The material prepared by the consultant cannot be sold, used or reproduced in any manner (partially or in full) by the consultant without prior permission from MMC.

15. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For any complementary information with regards to this consultancy announcement, please contact simon.tomasi@mixedmigration.org