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Mapping the online communication patterns of political conversations

Author

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  • Borondo, J.
  • Morales, A.J.
  • Benito, R.M.
  • Losada, J.C.

Abstract

The structure of the social networks in which individuals are embedded influences their political choices and therefore their voting behavior. Nowadays, social media represent a new channel for individuals to communicate, what together with the availability of the data, makes it possible to analyze the online social network resulting from political conversations. Here, by taking advantage of the recently developed techniques to analyze complex systems, we map the communication patterns resulting from Spanish political conversations. We identify the different existing communities, building networks of communities, and finding that users cluster themselves in politically homogeneous networks. We found that while most of the collective attention was monopolized by politicians, traditional media accounts were still the preferred sources from which to propagate information. Finally, we propose methods to analyze the use of different languages, finding a clear trend from sympathizers of several political parties to overuse or infra-use each language. We conclude that, on the light of a social media analysis perspective, the political conversation is constrained by both ideology and language.

Suggested Citation

  • Borondo, J. & Morales, A.J. & Benito, R.M. & Losada, J.C., 2014. "Mapping the online communication patterns of political conversations," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 414(C), pages 403-413.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:414:y:2014:i:c:p:403-413
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2014.06.089
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Borondo, J. & Morales, A.J. & Benito, R.M. & Losada, J.C., 2015. "Multiple leaders on a multilayer social media," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 90-98.
    2. Grover, Purva & Kar, Arpan Kumar & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Janssen, Marijn, 2019. "Polarization and acculturation in US Election 2016 outcomes – Can twitter analytics predict changes in voting preferences," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 438-460.
    3. Darko Cherepnalkoski & Andreas Karpf & Igor Mozetič & Miha Grčar, 2016. "Cohesion and Coalition Formation in the European Parliament: Roll-Call Votes and Twitter Activities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-27, November.
    4. Pace, Stefano & Buzzanca, Stefano & Fratocchi, Luciano, 2016. "The structure of conversations on social networks: Between dialogic and dialectic threads," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1144-1151.
    5. Felix Bossner & Melanie Nagel, 2020. "Discourse Networks and Dual Screening: Analyzing Roles, Content and Motivations in Political Twitter Conversations," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 311-325.

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