Is it possible to study demography through social media? This is the vision of Emilio Zagheni, an Italian researcher born in 1981, who studied and specialized at Bocconi and Berkeley and now directs the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock. His work focuses on migration, particularly on how to manage migrants' integration in an ageing population. His method is "digital demography": reading the data that come from the internet and social media. A Google trend or a recipe going viral online can lead to conclusions, and even forecasts, about migration flows.
In an interview with COSMO italiano, Zagheni describes Rostock as a happy island within Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with a high quality of life and an interesting cultural scene, helped by the university. As for the recent election results in his state and in eastern Germany, he sees a clear link with low birth rates and emigration, especially from rural areas of the eastern states to the West. Emilio Zagheni is also a founding member of SIGN, the network of Italian scientists in Germany. Italians living in or moving to Germany who want to know more are welcome to contact SIGN and, if they wish, join the network!
COSMO Italiano is part of the international and intercultural radio program of Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne and Radio Bremen, produced in collaboration with Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB).