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Published on: September 28, 2018
COVID-19 and social media: Beyond polarization
Giacomo De Nicola1, Victor H Tuekam Mambou1,2, Göran Kauermann1
1Department of Statistics, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany.
Popular social media users discussing COVID-19 on Twitter form distinct communities, revealing a spectrum of opinions beyond simple pro- and anti-vaccine mandate stances. Moderate users play a crucial role in bridging these online echo chambers.
Area of Science:
- Social Network Analysis
- Computational Social Science
- Disinformation Studies
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic amplified online disinformation and societal polarization.
- Popular social media users significantly influence public opinion and discourse.
- Understanding user behavior in online discussions is crucial for combating misinformation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the network structure and behavior of popular Twitter users discussing the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify community structures and belief spectrums within these discussions.
- To understand the role of influential users in shaping online discourse.
Main Methods:
- Utilized openly available Twitter data focusing on popular users discussing the pandemic.
- Employed a network perspective, modeling users as nodes and following relationships as directed edges.
- Embedded users in a latent social space to analyze network structure and community formation.
Main Results:
- Identified two distinct communities, interpretable as generally pro- and anti-vaccine mandate groups.
- Revealed that the network is not solely polarized, with a spectrum of beliefs represented.
- Highlighted the presence and importance of moderate, central users in the discussion.
Conclusions:
- Online discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic exhibit community structures, including echo chambers.
- Polarization is present but does not fully explain the network dynamics; moderate users are significant.
- The latent social space effectively captures the spectrum of user beliefs and network interactions.
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