Measuring the ease of communication in bipartite social endorsement networks: A proxy to study the dynamics of political polarization

Morteza Shahrezaye, Orestis Papakyriakopoulos, Juan Carlos Medina Serrano, Simon Hegelich

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this work, complex weighted bipartite social networks are developed to efficiently analyze, project and extract network knowledge. Specifically, to assess the overall ease of communication between the different network sub-clusters, a proper projection and measurement method is developed in which the defined measurement is a function of the network structure and preserves maximum relevant information. Using simulations, it is shown how the introduced measurement correlates with the concept of political polarization, after which the proposed method is applied to Facebook networks to demonstrate its ability to capture the polarization dynamics over time. The method successfully captured the increasing political polarization between the Alternative für Deutschland's (AfD) supporters and the supporters of other political parties, which is in line with previous studies on the rise of the AfD in Germany's political sphere.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication10th International Conference on Social Media and Society
Subtitle of host publicationRethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages158-165
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781450366519
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 Jul 2019
Event10th International Conference on Social Media and Society: Rethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019 - Toronto, Canada
Duration: 19 Jul 201921 Jul 2019

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference10th International Conference on Social Media and Society: Rethinking Privacy and Trust, SMSociety 2019
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityToronto
Period19/07/1921/07/19

Keywords

  • Bipartite network projection
  • Network simulations
  • Political discourse
  • Political polarization
  • Social media networks

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