Fracking has two circles of users talking among themselves, strengthening their conflicting campaigns. The third word cloud represents the words used by the selected influential users. Picture: Kiran Garimella.
Selected influential users can efficiently spread information on both sides of a controversial discussion.
Social media has become an important news source for a majority of adults. A common complaint is that social media help create echo chambers in which people reading information do not expose themselves to different viewpoints but are often confined to their own. This happens especially with controversial and polarising topics where two viewpoints become so isolated and conflicting viewpoints can emerge that people do not receive or read information that will not reinforce their own opinion.
Researchers from Aalto University and University of Rome Tor Vergata have designed an algorithm that is able to balance the information exposure so that social media users can be exposed to information from both sides of the discussion.
The algorithm uses a greedy algorithm paradigm that aims to find optimal choices at each stage. In this study the algorithm works by efficiently selecting a set of influential users, who can be convinced to spread information about their side to the other side. The goal is to maximize the amount of users exposed to both viewpoints.
Escaping the echo chambers with the help of influential users
“We use word clouds as a qualitative case study to complement our quantitative results, whereby words in the cloud represent the words found in the users’ profiles. For instance, if we look at the topics related to the hashtag #russiagate, we can see not only that the two word clouds that represent the conflicting viewpoints are rather different, but also that they indicate either support or hate for Trump”, describes Aalto University researcher Kiran Garimella.
Similarly, a topic like fracking has two circles of users talking among themselves, strengthening their conflicting campaigns.
“We see in our data that the network is fragmented into two sides, one set of users supporting fracking and using terms such as ‘oil’, ‘energy’, and ‘gas’, and another set of users opposing fracking and using terms such as ‘environmental’, ‘green’, and ‘energy’. There is small overlap in the keywords used by each side, indicading that users are in an echo chamber”, Professor Aristides Gionis adds.
The algorithm helps to identify a small number of influential users who are exposed to both campaigns and have a more balanced viewpoint.
“Examining the content of those users we see that it uses terms from both sides of the discussion. Thus, these users can play a significant role in initiating a social debate and help spreading the arguments of one side to the other,” Garimella concludes.
Learn more: Conflicting views on social media balanced by an algorithm
The Latest on: Balancing social media
[google_news title=”” keyword=”balancing social media” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- Mirren speaks of 'delicate balance' in playing Israeli PMon October 1, 2023 at 5:17 am
Cooper, who is not Jewish, came in for criticism, with some social media users saying it played up to offensive ... "As I say, it's a very delicate balance." Last year, fellow actor Dame Maureen ...
- “Sabotage!” Will Truth Rise or Fall? Trump’s Beloved Truth Social Faces Imminent Collapse as High-Stakes Merger Deal Hangs in the Balanceon October 1, 2023 at 12:39 am
Trump’s beloved social media platform, Truth Social ... As the crucial meeting approaches, the fate of Truth Social hangs in the balance. With the clock ticking, the world watches to see if Truth ...
- Boys cross-country: Barrett, Forrest among winners at New Balance Shore Coaches Invitationalon September 30, 2023 at 4:32 pm
Christian Brothers Joe Barrett and Collingswood's Elija Forrest were just two of the many winners at Saturday's New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational.
- Social-media moral panic caused by infantilizing teenson September 29, 2023 at 9:09 am
America is in the throes of its latest moral panic, with liberal academics and social conservatives united in warning about an addiction crisis that is threatening the social fabric of the nation.
- Footballers with social media aspirations need to strike the right balance between the game and online pursuitson September 29, 2023 at 2:22 am
Footballers with social media aspirations need to strike the right balance between the game and online pursuitsIn a world where social media is all-pervasive, players need to be mentally strong, says ...
- BBC Revises Guidelines for Personal Use of Social Media, Says Flagship Show Hosts Can “Not Endorse Nor Attack Political Parties”on September 28, 2023 at 10:49 am
"Those working in news and current affairs (across all divisions) and factual journalism production, along with all senior leaders, have a particular responsibility to uphold the BBC’s impartiality ...
- BBC updates social media rules for star presenters like Gary Linekeron September 28, 2023 at 5:30 am
Britain's BBC said its top stars such as Gary Lineker could opine on political issues on social media but must stop short of campaigning, in new guidelines prompted by a row over the sports ...
- New social media guidance strikes balance between freedom of expression and impartialityon September 28, 2023 at 4:40 am
This follows a review by former TV executive John Hardie, which looked at the BBC’s guidance covering “individual use of social media” in relation to those working as on-air freelancers outside of ...
- Mom influencers getting paid for sharing daily family life on social mediaon September 27, 2023 at 12:23 pm
If you're a mother on social media, you've probably come across on your feed "mom influencers" - women who put their family lives out there, creating content and getting paid for it. It's a world that ...
- Once Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev is now relegated to social media tiradeson September 26, 2023 at 2:41 pm
Serving as president of Russia between 2008 and 2012, Dmitry Medvedev was always a placeholder for Vladimir Putin. Still, his presidency illustrated Putin's high trust that Medvedev could serve ...
via Google News and Bing News
