scholarly journals Attention dynamics on the Chinese social media Sina Weibo during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Cui ◽  
János Kertész
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Time Span ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
The Real ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Temporal Placement ◽  
Higher Rank ◽  
Clustering Pattern ◽  
Chinese Social Media

AbstractUnderstanding attention dynamics on social media during pandemics could help governments minimize the effects. We focus on how COVID-19 has influenced the attention dynamics on the biggest Chinese microblogging website Sina Weibo during the first four months of the pandemic. We study the real-time Hot Search List (HSL), which provides the ranking of the most popular 50 hashtags based on the amount of Sina Weibo searches. We show how the specific events, measures and developments during the epidemic affected the emergence of different kinds of hashtags and the ranking on the HSL. A significant increase of COVID-19 related hashtags started to occur on HSL around January 20, 2020, when the transmission of the disease between humans was announced. Then very rapidly a situation was reached where COVID-related hashtags occupied 30–70% of the HSL, however, with changing content. We give an analysis of how the hashtag topics changed during the investigated time span and conclude that there are three periods separated by February 12 and March 12. In period 1, we see strong topical correlations and clustering of hashtags; in period 2, the correlations are weakened, without clustering pattern; in period 3, we see a potential of clustering while not as strong as in period 1. We further explore the dynamics of HSL by measuring the ranking dynamics and the lifetimes of hashtags on the list. This way we can obtain information about the decay of attention, which is important for decisions about the temporal placement of governmental measures to achieve permanent awareness. Furthermore, our observations indicate abnormally higher rank diversity in the top 15 ranks on HSL due to the COVID-19 related hashtags, revealing the possibility of algorithmic intervention from the platform provider.

scholarly journals Online scrutiny of people with nice cars: A comparative analysis of Chinese, Russian, and Anglo-American outrage

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
Qian Huang ◽  
Rashid Gabdulhakov ◽  
Daniel Trottier
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Contrasting Cases ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Late Model ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Chinese Social Media

Connected by platforms and equipped with mobile recording devices, social media users are able to conduct near-constant mutual scrutiny. Such mediated scrutiny sometimes escalates to public denunciations online and even mediated or embodied interventions. A recurring theme of such scrutiny can be observed not only on Chinese social media but also on platforms in Russia and elsewhere, in which hostility is openly expressed towards people with nice cars (i.e. late model, luxury, foreign vehicles). In these cases, nice cars are not merely a fact provided by participants in their denunciations; they also serve as an implication of the privileges the owners might possess. By juxtaposing cases in China against other socio-political contexts, the research intends to achieve a better understanding of how and why nice cars are rendered meaningful by participants via mediated scrutiny on social media in China and beyond. The research collects and analyses relevant social media discourses on platforms including Sina Weibo (China), YouTube (Russia), and Facebook (United Kingdom; Australia; United States). Comparing and contrasting cases in different countries, the research demonstrates various forms of critical and populist sentiments that are shaped by unique socio-cultural and political contexts.

Curbing profanity online: A network-based diffusion analysis of profane speech on Chinese social media

2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482090506
Author(s):  
Yunya Song ◽  
K Hazel Kwon ◽  
Jianliang Xu ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Shiying Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Computational Methods ◽  
State Government ◽  
Diffusion Processes ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
Diffusion Analysis ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Structural Metrics ◽  
Chinese Social Media

Profanity, also known as swearing, refers to the use of foul language that is often linked to incivility. In Chinese digital space, the state government actively censors profanity under the rationale of protecting online civility. This study examines the diffusion of profanity in Sina Weibo, one of the largest Chinese social media platforms. The study applied computational methods to reconstruct the cascade networks of swearing and non-swearing posts and analyzed the network diffusion processes based on a set of structural metrics including reposting depth, width, and interlayer width ratios. Findings suggest profanity may influence the process of message diffusion, but this effect was ephemeral. Based on the understanding of diffusion processes of profanity online, this study contends the viral potential of profanity may not be as severe as the regulators claim. The discussion analyzes the extent to which content moderation efforts are necessary for the nurturing of civility online.

The real-time power of Twitter: Crisis management and leadership in an age of social media

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Gruber ◽  
Ryan E. Smerek ◽  
Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt ◽  
Erika H. James
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
The Real ◽  
Management And Leadership

scholarly journals “Privacy” in Semantic Networks on Chinese Social Media: The Case of Sina Weibo

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1011-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine J. Yuan ◽  
Miao Feng ◽  
James A. Danowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Chinese Social Media

scholarly journals The “Parallel Pandemic” in the Context of China: The Spread of Rumors and Rumor-Corrections During COVID-19 in Chinese Social Media

2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422110031
Author(s):  
Yunya Song ◽  
K. Hazel Kwon ◽  
Yin Lu ◽  
Yining Fan ◽  
Baiqi Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sina Weibo ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Source Characteristics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Chinese Social Media

Although studies have investigated cyber-rumoring previous to the pandemic, little research has been undertaken to study rumors and rumor-corrections during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Drawing on prior studies about how online stories become viral, this study will fill that gap by investigating the retransmission of COVID-19 rumors and corrective messages on Sina Weibo, the largest and most popular microblogging site in China. This study examines the impact of rumor types, content attributes (including frames, emotion, and rationality), and source characteristics (including follower size and source identity) to show how they affect the likelihood of a COVID-19 rumor and its correction being shared. By exploring the retransmission of rumors and their corrections in Chinese social media, this study will not only advance scholarly understanding but also reveal how corrective messages can be crafted to debunk cyber-rumors in particular cultural contexts.

scholarly journals Developing narrative exhibitions and science centres. Training needs of exhibition designers

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (04) ◽  
pp. C04
Author(s):  
Peter Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Real ◽  
Science Centres

In respect of the different modes of science communication including journalism, radio, online, I would propose that the process of making exhibitions and centres dedicated to science & technology is one of the hardest creative typologies. It also provides a very different type of engagement to other modes, in that it works in real time and space with real tangible objects and responsive media. The power of the real is also extended through the direct and collective involvement of people, providing a refreshing antidote to the potential alienating nature of social media and the ever-growing obsession with the virtual. In this paper I will discuss the skills required by a designer in order to solve the challenges contained within the client brief (the project document provided by the client), and therefore the skills a proper exhibition designer training programme should deliver.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document