Analysis of flows in social media uncovers a new multi-step model of information spread

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Serafino, Matteo, Clemente, G. Virginio, Flamino, James, Szymanski, Boleslaw K., Lizardo, Omar, Makse, Hernan A.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Serafino, Matteo
Clemente, G. Virginio
Flamino, James
Szymanski, Boleslaw K.
Lizardo, Omar
Makse, Hernan A.
author_facet Serafino, Matteo
Clemente, G. Virginio
Flamino, James
Szymanski, Boleslaw K.
Lizardo, Omar
Makse, Hernan A.
contents Since the advent of the internet, communication paradigms have continuously evolved, resulting in a present-day landscape where the dynamics of information dissemination have undergone a complete transformation compared to the past. In this study, we challenge the conventional two-step flow model of communication, a long-standing paradigm in the field. Our approach introduces a more intricate multi-step and multi-actor model that effectively captures the complexities of modern information spread. We test our hypothesis by examining the spread of information on the Twitter platform. Our findings support the multi-step and multi-actor model hypothesis. In this framework, influencers (individuals with a significant presence in social media) emerges as new central figures and partially take on the role previously attributed to opinion leaders. However, this does not apply to opinion leaders who adapt and reaffirm their influential position on social media, here defined as opinion-leading influencers. Additionally, we note a substantial number of adopters directly accessing information sources, suggesting a potentialdecline if influence in both opinion leaders and influencers. Finally, we found distinctions in the diffusion patterns of left- and right-leaning groups, indicating variations in the underlying structure of information dissemination across different ideologies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_01225
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Analysis of flows in social media uncovers a new multi-step model of information spread
Serafino, Matteo
Clemente, G. Virginio
Flamino, James
Szymanski, Boleslaw K.
Lizardo, Omar
Makse, Hernan A.
Physics and Society
Since the advent of the internet, communication paradigms have continuously evolved, resulting in a present-day landscape where the dynamics of information dissemination have undergone a complete transformation compared to the past. In this study, we challenge the conventional two-step flow model of communication, a long-standing paradigm in the field. Our approach introduces a more intricate multi-step and multi-actor model that effectively captures the complexities of modern information spread. We test our hypothesis by examining the spread of information on the Twitter platform. Our findings support the multi-step and multi-actor model hypothesis. In this framework, influencers (individuals with a significant presence in social media) emerges as new central figures and partially take on the role previously attributed to opinion leaders. However, this does not apply to opinion leaders who adapt and reaffirm their influential position on social media, here defined as opinion-leading influencers. Additionally, we note a substantial number of adopters directly accessing information sources, suggesting a potentialdecline if influence in both opinion leaders and influencers. Finally, we found distinctions in the diffusion patterns of left- and right-leaning groups, indicating variations in the underlying structure of information dissemination across different ideologies.
title Analysis of flows in social media uncovers a new multi-step model of information spread
topic Physics and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.01225