scholarly journals Finding influential users of web event in social media

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. e5029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qichen Ma ◽  
Xiangfeng Luo ◽  
Hai Zhuge
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-49
Author(s):  
Lu An ◽  
Junyang Hu ◽  
Manting Xu ◽  
Gang Li ◽  
Chuanming Yu

The highly influential users on social media platforms may lead the public opinion about public events and have positive or negative effects on the later evolution of events. Identifying highly influential users on social media is of great significance for the management of public opinion in the context of public events. In this study, the highly influential users of social media are divided into three types (i.e., topic initiator, opinion leader, and opinion reverser). A method of profiling highly influential users is proposed based on topic consistency and emotional support. The event of “Jiankui He Editing the Infants' Genes” was investigated. The three types of users were identified, and their opinion differences and dynamic evolution were revealed. The comprehensive profiles of highly influential users were constructed. The findings can help emergency management departments master the focus of attention and emotional attitudes of the key users and provide the method and data support for opinion management and decision-making of public events.


Author(s):  
Lida Safarnejad ◽  
Qian Xu ◽  
Yaorong Ge ◽  
Arunkumar Bagavathi ◽  
Siddharth Krishnan ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Social media has become a major resource for observing and understanding public opinions using infodemiology and infoveillance methods, especially during emergencies such as disease outbreaks. For public health agencies, understanding the driving forces of web-based discussions will help deliver more effective and efficient information to general users on social media and the web. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to identify the major contributors that drove overall Zika-related tweeting dynamics during the 2016 epidemic. In total, 3 hypothetical drivers were proposed: (1) the underlying Zika epidemic quantified as a time series of case counts; (2) sporadic but critical real-world events such as the 2016 Rio Olympics and World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) announcement, and (3) a few influential users’ tweeting activities. METHODS All tweets and retweets (RTs) containing the keyword Zika posted in 2016 were collected via the Gnip application programming interface (API). We developed an analytical pipeline, EventPeriscope, to identify co-occurring trending events with Zika and quantify the strength of these events. We also retrieved Zika case data and identified the top influencers of the Zika discussion on Twitter. The influence of 3 potential drivers was examined via a multivariate time series analysis, signal processing, a content analysis, and text mining techniques. RESULTS Zika-related tweeting dynamics were not significantly correlated with the underlying Zika epidemic in the United States in any of the four quarters in 2016 nor in the entire year. Instead, peaks of Zika-related tweeting activity were strongly associated with a few critical real-world events, both planned, such as the Rio Olympics, and unplanned, such as the PHEIC announcement. The Rio Olympics was mentioned in >15% of all Zika-related tweets and PHEIC occurred in 27% of Zika-related tweets around their respective peaks. In addition, the overall tweeting dynamics of the top 100 most actively tweeting users on the Zika topic, the top 100 users receiving most RTs, and the top 100 users mentioned were the most highly correlated to and preceded the overall tweeting dynamics, making these groups of users the potential drivers of tweeting dynamics. The top 100 users who retweeted the most were not critical in driving the overall tweeting dynamics. There were very few overlaps among these different groups of potentially influential users. CONCLUSIONS Using our proposed analytical workflow, EventPeriscope, we identified that Zika discussion dynamics on Twitter were decoupled from the actual disease epidemic in the United States but were closely related to and highly influenced by certain sporadic real-world events as well as by a few influential users. This study provided a methodology framework and insights to better understand the driving forces of web-based public discourse during health emergencies. Therefore, health agencies could deliver more effective and efficient web-based communications in emerging crises.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 6207-6218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongying Zhao ◽  
Hui Zhou ◽  
Bijun Zhang ◽  
Fujiao Ji ◽  
Chao Li

2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482095871
Author(s):  
Mariah L Wellman

This essay offers an extension of the theory of parasocial relationships deemed trans-mediated parasocial relationships in which popular users rely on a specific social media platform to maintain relationships with followers previously kindled on another platform. The extension calls for scholars to pay attention to which platforms influential users are moving between and how the affordances of particular platforms help or hinder the growth of existing relationships. To explicate this theory extension, the researcher applied a multi-method approach to explore a private Facebook group run by Australian social media influencer, Sarah’s Day. The researcher investigates how members use the group to communicate their thoughts, seek support, ask questions, and share critiques of themselves and others. In this case, an influencer who originally fostered connections with followers on YouTube and Instagram built a self-sustaining Facebook group to maintain those relationships through little effort of her own, continually benefiting from follower labor.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-530
Author(s):  
Stuart Palmer ◽  
Nilupa Udawatta

PurposeSustainable construction is widely considered to be the best practice in construction, helping to create a healthy built environment. Social media is identified as a valuable data source for research on sustainable construction, and Twitter is a popular social media platform in relation to the construction. Green Building construction is identified as one of the methods that promotes sustainable construction. The purpose of this study is to characterise “Green Building” as a topic in Twitter.Design/methodology/approachSocial network analysis methods were applied to a large set of Twitter data related to “green building”. Time sequence analysis and network visualisation were used to characterise Twitter activity and to identify influential users. Text analytics and visualisation methods were applied to the same data set to visualise the text content of Twitter posts relating to green building.FindingsPeaks in Twitter activity were associated with physical “green building” events. The network visualisation of the Twitter data revealed a complex structure and a range of types of interactions. The most “influential” users depended on the ranking method used; however, a number of users had high influence in all measures used. The tweet text visualisation showed evidence of a global and interactive audience on Twitter engaged in conversations about green building. Also, it was found that external links, emoji and popular terms related to a particular topic can be used to increase the engagement of Twitter users on that topic.Originality/valueCertain Green Building events were observed to be associated with high levels of Twitter activity. The virtual was found to be closely linked to the physical, and for the promotion of green building construction, their respective impact is potentially the most powerful when used in conjunction. The most influential Twitter accounts did not belong to one class of user, including both individuals and organisations. Twitter offers a platform for a range of stakeholders in the area of green building construction to reach a substantial audience and to be influential in the public sphere. The findings of this research provide a valuable reference for industry practitioners and researchers to deepen their understanding of the application of Twitter to green building construction, and the methods of using Twitter to promote important information related to sustainable construction.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 656
Author(s):  
Ivan Herrera-Peco ◽  
Beatriz Jiménez-Gómez ◽  
Carlos Santiago Romero Magdalena ◽  
Juan José Deudero ◽  
María García-Puente ◽  
...  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, different conspiracies have risen, with the most dangerous being those focusing on vaccines. Today, there exists a social media movement focused on destroying the credibility of vaccines and trying to convince people to ignore the advice of governments and health organizations on vaccination. Our aim was to analyze a COVID-19 antivaccination message campaign on Twitter that uses Spanish as the main language, to find the key elements in their communication strategy. Twitter data were retrieved from 14 to 28 December using NodeXL software. We analyzed tweets in Spanish, focusing on influential users, most influential tweets, and content analysis of tweets. The results revealed ordinary citizens who ‘offer the truth’ as the most important profile in this network. The content analysis showed antivaccine tweets (31.05%) as the most frequent. The analysis of anti-COVID19 tweets showed that attacks against vaccine safety were the most important (79.87%) but we detected a new kind of message presenting the vaccine as a means of manipulating the human genetic code (8.1%). We concluded that the antivaccine movement and its tenets have great influence in the COVID-19 negationist movement. We observed a new topic in COVID-19 vaccine hoaxes that must be considered in our fight against misinformation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-20
Author(s):  
Marisa Analía Sanchez

Social networks are a mode of internet users to communicate and share information. From the area of marketing there is an interest in identifying individuals who may have influence to promote products or services. The purpose of this research work is to present a method on how to identify influential users of Facebook Fan Page. The proposal is based on the works of Khobzi y Teimourpour (2015) and Weng y Lento (2014) and considers pragmatic issues derived from data Access restrictions. A real case is described. The results allow identifying user segments and the interest of different topics. This research is relevant to Fan Page managers and to the marketing area of organisations with social media presence. Resumen Las redes sociales constituyen un medio para que los usuarios de Internet se comuniquen y compartan información. Desde el área de marketing existe un interés por identificar individuos que puedan tener influencia para promocionar sus productos o servicios. El objetivo de este trabajo de investigación es presentar un método para identificar usuarios influyentes en una Fan Page de Facebook. La propuesta está basada en los trabajos de Khobzi y Teimourpour (2015) y Weng y Lento (2014) y considera aspectos pragmáticos derivados de las restricciones en el acceso a datos privados. Se describe un caso real. Los resultados permiten identificar segmentos de usuarios y el interés de diferentes tópicos. Esta investigación es relevante para los administradores de una Fan Page y para el área de marketing de organizaciones con una presencia en los medios sociales.Resumo A rede social é uma maneira para os usuários da Internet para se comunicar e compartilhar informações. Desde a área de marketing há um interesse na identificação de indivíduos que podem ter influência para promover seus produtos ou serviços. O objetivo desta pesquisa é apresentar um método para identificar os usuários influentes em um Facebook Fan Page. A proposta baseia-se no trabalho de Khobzi e Teimourpour (2015) e Weng e Lento (2014) e considera aspectos pragmáticos decorrentes das restrições de acesso a dados privados. Ele descreve um caso real. Os resultados permitem identificar os segmentos de usuários e o interesse de diferentes temas. Esta pesquisa é relevante para os gestores de uma Fan Page e para área de marketing de organizações com uma presença nos meios de comunicação social.


10.2196/17175 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e17175
Author(s):  
Lida Safarnejad ◽  
Qian Xu ◽  
Yaorong Ge ◽  
Arunkumar Bagavathi ◽  
Siddharth Krishnan ◽  
...  

Background Social media has become a major resource for observing and understanding public opinions using infodemiology and infoveillance methods, especially during emergencies such as disease outbreaks. For public health agencies, understanding the driving forces of web-based discussions will help deliver more effective and efficient information to general users on social media and the web. Objective The study aimed to identify the major contributors that drove overall Zika-related tweeting dynamics during the 2016 epidemic. In total, 3 hypothetical drivers were proposed: (1) the underlying Zika epidemic quantified as a time series of case counts; (2) sporadic but critical real-world events such as the 2016 Rio Olympics and World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) announcement, and (3) a few influential users’ tweeting activities. Methods All tweets and retweets (RTs) containing the keyword Zika posted in 2016 were collected via the Gnip application programming interface (API). We developed an analytical pipeline, EventPeriscope, to identify co-occurring trending events with Zika and quantify the strength of these events. We also retrieved Zika case data and identified the top influencers of the Zika discussion on Twitter. The influence of 3 potential drivers was examined via a multivariate time series analysis, signal processing, a content analysis, and text mining techniques. Results Zika-related tweeting dynamics were not significantly correlated with the underlying Zika epidemic in the United States in any of the four quarters in 2016 nor in the entire year. Instead, peaks of Zika-related tweeting activity were strongly associated with a few critical real-world events, both planned, such as the Rio Olympics, and unplanned, such as the PHEIC announcement. The Rio Olympics was mentioned in >15% of all Zika-related tweets and PHEIC occurred in 27% of Zika-related tweets around their respective peaks. In addition, the overall tweeting dynamics of the top 100 most actively tweeting users on the Zika topic, the top 100 users receiving most RTs, and the top 100 users mentioned were the most highly correlated to and preceded the overall tweeting dynamics, making these groups of users the potential drivers of tweeting dynamics. The top 100 users who retweeted the most were not critical in driving the overall tweeting dynamics. There were very few overlaps among these different groups of potentially influential users. Conclusions Using our proposed analytical workflow, EventPeriscope, we identified that Zika discussion dynamics on Twitter were decoupled from the actual disease epidemic in the United States but were closely related to and highly influenced by certain sporadic real-world events as well as by a few influential users. This study provided a methodology framework and insights to better understand the driving forces of web-based public discourse during health emergencies. Therefore, health agencies could deliver more effective and efficient web-based communications in emerging crises.


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