Penn State News: Researchers to compare Twitter opinions on climate change with real-world views. “In their study, the researchers will construct a Twitter-driven regional opinion heat map, using an opinion-mining pipeline and the social media platform’s geotags, and analyze whether the map represents regional attitudes toward climate change captured in national survey data. Then, they will examine how differences in location, time and occurrences of climate-related events shape people’s opinions toward climate change. The researchers hope to gain a deeper insight regarding public opinion through the lens of social media.”
political polarization
The whisper room: Moderates on Twitter are losing their voice (University of Missouri)
University of Missouri: The whisper room: Moderates on Twitter are losing their voice. “With the growing popularity of social media, Twitter has become a prominent place to voice opinions on both ends of the political spectrum. With the ability to follow those who only argue one side, voices of people who are in the middle, disinterested in politics or use social media solely for entertainment purposes might be getting drowned out amidst the political noise.”
CNN: How Twitter’s algorithm is amplifying extreme political rhetoric
CNN: How Twitter’s algorithm is amplifying extreme political rhetoric. “Imagine opening up the Twitter app on your phone and scrolling through your feed. Suddenly, you come across a hyper-partisan tweet calling Hillary Clinton the ‘godmother of ISIS.’ It’s from a user you do not follow, and it’s not in your feed by virtue of a retweet from a user you do follow. So how did it get there?”
Nieman Lab: One year in, Facebook’s big algorithm change has spurred an angry, Fox News-dominated — and very engaged! — News Feed
Nieman Lab: One year in, Facebook’s big algorithm change has spurred an angry, Fox News-dominated — and very engaged! — News Feed. “It’s been a little over a year since Facebook announced major algorithm changes that would decrease the amount of news in News Feed, instead prioritizing non-publisher content that spurs engagement and provokes comments. Fourteen or so months in, what does the news environment on Facebook look like?”
National Security Archive: Exploring the Russian Social Media Campaign in Charlottesville
National Security Archive: Exploring the Russian Social Media Campaign in Charlottesville. “The existence of social media campaigns connected by U.S. intelligence to the Russian Government and aimed at destabilizing American politics continues to be the topic of much discussion and study, but case studies accessible to most social media users in America are difficult to produce given the scope of these operations. This posting seeks to provide such a case study as it relates to the IRA’s tactic of playing up both sides of a critical issue. While Russian support to the Trump campaign on social media and through the release of information obtained through cyberattack is well recognized, less well known is IRA amplification of political beliefs and voices specifically selected to increase polarization in American discourse.”
Nieman Lab: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing — no, seriously, it is, according to this new research
Nieman Lab: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing — no, seriously, it is, according to this new research. “People who’ve scanned Facebook for news gain a little knowledge. Why do some of them think they’ve gained a lot? Consider statements like ‘I feel that I need to experience strong emotions regularly’ and ‘I feel like I need a good cry every now and then.’ How much do these statements apply to you?”
Virginia Gazette: W&M professor studies polarizing effects of social media
Virginia Gazette: W&M professor studies polarizing effects of social media. “Jaime Settle is an assistant professor of government at the College of William and Mary. She is co-director of the Social Science Research Methods Center; she founded and directs the Social Networks and Political Psychology Lab at the college. She is also the author of the path-breaking new book, ‘Frenemies: How Social Media Polarizes America.'”
