Multidimensional influencing factors of public opinion information dissemination in social media: Evidence from Weibo dataset

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (31) ◽  
pp. 1950375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanghui Wang ◽  
Yufei Wang ◽  
Kaidi Liu ◽  
Jimei Li

The factors influencing the dissemination of public opinion on social media, the main carrier of public opinion, are diverse, complex and changeable. Existing studies of influential factors of public opinion dissemination focus on the information itself and information sources in the dissemination process, failing to consider the comprehensive influence of multidimensional factors, such as information content, sources and channels. This study takes the identification of multidimensional influential factors of social media information dissemination as the research object and comprehensively sorts out the influencing factors of public opinion. To improve the scientific basis and accuracy of the research, multidimensional factors, including information characteristics, dissemination network structure and user-level attributes, are selected to analyze the effect of influential factors in different dimensions on the dissemination of social media public opinion information using econometric models. Three main conclusions of this paper are as follows: (1) The traditional information characteristics (information content) and information source attributes (user-level factor) are not the only key factors affecting information dissemination, while the information channel (network structure) is worth more consideration. (2) Netizens tend to pay more attention to the psychological and emotional attributes of information when forwarding public opinions. The communication mode in which offline social elites enlighten the public no longer exists; whether a user is a network celebrity or lives in the central area no longer significantly affects public opinion dissemination. (3) The higher the total amount of information users release, the more the information would interfere with the public opinion. This is mainly because users with a higher level of activity may release more invalid information about advertising that has nothing to do with public opinion events.

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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (9-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdus-samad Temitope Olanrewaju ◽  
Rahayu Ahmad ◽  
Kamarul Faizal Hashim

Information dissemination during disaster is very crucial, but inherits several complexities associated with the dynamic characteristics of the disaster. Social media evangelists (activists) play an important role in disseminating critical updates at on-site locations. However, there is limited understanding on the network structure formed and its evolution and the types of information shared. To address these questions, this study employs Social Network Analysis technique on a dataset containing 157 social media posts from an influential civilian fan page during Malaysia’s flood. The finding demonstrates three different network structures emerged during the flood period. The network structure evolves depending on the current state of the flood, the amount of information available and the need of information. Through content analysis, there were seven types of information exchanges discovered. These information exchanges evolved as the scale and magnitude of flood changes. In conclusion, this study shows the emergence of different network structures, density and identification of influential information brokers among civilians that use social media during disaster. Despite the low number of influential information brokers, they successfully manage their specific cluster in conveying information about the disaster and most importantly coordinating the rescue mission.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1034-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Zerback ◽  
Nayla Fawzi

In modern media environments, social media have fundamentally altered the way how individual opinions find their way into the public sphere. We link spiral of silence theory to exemplification research and investigate the effects of online opinions on peoples’ perceptions of public opinion and willingness to speak out. In an experiment, we can show that a relatively low number of online exemplars considerably influence perceived public support for the eviction of violent immigrants. Moreover, supporters of eviction were less willing to speak out on the issue online and offline when confronted with exemplars contradicting their opinion.


2021 ◽  
pp. 197140092110123
Author(s):  
Faith C Robertson ◽  
Joseph R Linzey ◽  
Naif M Alotaibi ◽  
Robert W Regenhardt ◽  
Pablo Harker ◽  
...  

Background Transradial access for neurointerventional procedures was adopted and modified from cardiovascular intervention and is increasingly established as a safe and effective alternative to transfemoral catheterization. As social media influences public opinion on medical treatment, this study analyzes Twitter conversations to elucidate social media’s depiction of transradial access as a neurointerventional tool. Materials and methods Twitter hashtags #RadialFirst and #RadialForNeuro were evaluated using a mixed-method analysis of quantitative social media metrics and qualitative thematic analysis. Results Between January 2015 and April 2020, 104,146 tweets from 141 countries employed the hashtag #RadialFirst (2015 (1); 2016 (0); 2017 (22,804); 2018 (33,074); 2019 (38,352); 2020 (9,915 January-April)). These generated 226,909,374 impressions and were retweeted 80,120 times by 13,707 users. Media was present in 62.5% of tweets (e.g. wrist image, angiographic runs) but only 14.5% had a reference article. Physicians authored 70.8% of tweets; interventional cardiologists accounted for 83% of top 100 influencers. #RadialForNeuro is more nascent (6 posts in 2019; 323 posts January–April 2020), with 392,662 impressions, and 254 retweets by 177 users; physicians authored 35.6%. Compared to #RadialFirst, #RadialforNeuro tweets were more likely to include media (76%), less likely to include citations (9.7%), and more likely to discuss complications and troubleshooting techniques. Conclusion Twitter activity regarding transradial access permits information dissemination and discussion on approach benefits and challenges. However, many posts arise from non-physician sources and lack links to peer-reviewed publication. The public should be mindful that tweets may reflect opinions, rather than experience or scientific evidence.


Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Meng Cai ◽  
Han Luo ◽  
Ying Cui

With the development of the Internet, social media has become an important platform for people to deal with emergencies and share information. When a public health emergency occurs, the public can understand the topics of the event and perceive the sentiments of others through social media, thus building a cooperative communication network. In this study, we took the public health emergency as the main research object and the natural disaster, accident, and social security event as the secondary research object and further revealed the law of the formation and evolution of public opinion through the analysis on temporal networks of topics and sentiments in social media platforms. Firstly, we identified the derived topics by constructing the topic model and used the sentiment classification model to divide the text sentiments of the derived topics into two types: positive sentiment and negative sentiment. Then, the ARIMA time series model was used to fit and predict the evolution and diffusion rules of topics and sentiments derived from public opinions on temporal networks. It was found that the evolution law of derived public opinions had similarities and differences in various types of emergencies and was closely related to government measures and media reports. The related research provides a foundation for the management of network public opinion and the realization of better emergency effects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Yanti Setianti ◽  
Susanne Dida ◽  
Lilis Puspitasari ◽  
Aat Ruchiat Nugraha

Communication via social media has created a positive output on information dissemination in every aspect of life, including health. One of the social media functions is to support development by empowering the public in taking care of their own health and welfare. It is essential to develop an effective communication model for disseminating information on adolescent reproductive health. The rapid growth in the number of health reproductive information portals in the social media, the circumstances are creating a high selectivity on the right and correct information needed for the adolescent based on the particular condition in each region. 


Social media is an important avenue for information dissemination and public communication in emergency management. Through social media content analysis and in-depth interviews, this study explores how county level emergency management agencies use their Facebook pages to communicate with the public, using Hurricane Matthew as a case study. The findings reveal some areas of congruence between literature and practitioner experience. The results suggest that public agencies integrate flexible social media strategies, which emphasize one-way communication when the public expects larger volumes of information and directions, and two-way communication when the public might have individualized needs. Furthermore, the findings show that visual content (e.g. pictures) are more likely to garner higher levels of public engagement on Facebook. Last, the study provides several practical suggestions for content creation and interaction on social media for emergency purposes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zina Fan ◽  
Wenqiang Yin ◽  
Han Zhang ◽  
Dandan Wang ◽  
Chengxin Fan ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak has tremendously impacted the world. The number of confirmed cases has continued to increase, causing damage to society and the economy worldwide. The public pays close attention to information on the pandemic and learns about the disease through various media outlets. The dissemination of comprehensive and accurate COVID-19 information that the public needs helps to educate people so they can take preventive measures. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the dissemination of COVID-19 information by analyzing the information released by the official WeChat account of the <i>People’s Daily</i> during the pandemic. The most-read COVID-19 information in China was summarized, and the factors that influence information dissemination were studied to understand the characteristics that affect its dissemination. Moreover, this was conducted in order to identify how to effectively disseminate COVID-19 information and to provide suggestions on how to manage public opinion and information governance during a pandemic. METHODS This was a retrospective study based on a WeChat official account. We collected all COVID-19–related information, starting with the first report about COVID-19 from the <i>People’s Daily</i> and ending with the last piece of information about lifting the first-level emergency response in 34 Chinese provinces. A descriptive analysis was then conducted on this information, as well as on Qingbo Big Data’s dissemination index. Multiple linear regression was utilized to study the factors that affected information dissemination based on various characteristics and the dissemination index. RESULTS From January 19 to May 2, 2020, the <i>People’s Daily</i> released 1984 pieces of information; 1621 were related to COVID-19, which mainly included headline news items, items with emotional content, and issues related to the pandemic’s development. By analyzing the dissemination index, seven information dissemination peaks were discerned. Among the three dimensions of COVID-19 information—media salience, content, and format—eight factors affected the spread of COVID-19 information. CONCLUSIONS Different types of pandemic-related information have varying dissemination power. To effectively disseminate information and prevent the spread of COVID-19, we should identify the factors that affect this dissemination. We should then disseminate the types of information the public is most concerned about, use information to educate people to improve their health literacy, and improve public opinion and information governance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Indro Adinugroho ◽  
Smitha Sjahputri ◽  
Judotens Budiarto ◽  
Roby Muhamad

In recent days, the public often uses social media such as Twitter for delivering critics; appreciation and campaign related to Government and political issues. The existence of Twitter is changing human behavior rapidly. This study aims to identify Twitter as a medium to generate public opinion concerning two political issues, the 7th Indonesian President first 100 days and public response towards his strategic plan, Nawacita. Method applied in this study is a combination of contemporary research instruments that combines technology and psychology. In this study, the authors examined conversation on Twitter by using Tracker and Algoritma Kata (AK, words algorithm). Tracker is used to collecting conversation on twitter regarding Jokowi’s first 100 days and Nawacita, whereas AK is applied to identify valence and arousal in each tweet collected by Tracker. The finding shows the domination of positive tweets in every week. However, there is a moment where the number of positive tweets was close to negative tweets. In Nawacita issue, law reformation and enforcement was the issue that has highest negative sentiment among others.


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