1,068 research outputs found
$1.00 per RT #BostonMarathon #PrayForBoston: analyzing fake content on Twitter
This study found that 29% of the most viral content on Twitter during the Boston bombing crisis were rumors and fake content.AbstractOnline social media has emerged as one of the prominent channels for dissemination of information during real world events. Malicious content is posted online during events, which can result in damage, chaos and monetary losses in the real world. We analyzed one such media i.e. Twitter, for content generated during the event of Boston Marathon Blasts, that occurred on April, 15th, 2013. A lot of fake content and malicious profiles originated on Twitter network during this event. The aim of this work is to perform in-depth characterization of what factors influenced in malicious content and profiles becoming viral. Our results showed that 29% of the most viral content on Twitter, during the Boston crisis were rumors and fake content; while 51% was generic opinions and comments; and rest was true information. We found that large number of users with high social reputation and verified accounts were responsible for spreading the fake content. Next, we used regression prediction model, to verify that, overall impact of all users who propagate the fake content at a given time, can be used to estimate the growth of that content in future. Many malicious accounts were created on Twitter during the Boston event, that were later suspended by Twitter. We identified over six thousand such user profiles, we observed that the creation of such profiles surged considerably right after the blasts occurred. We identified closed community structure and star formation in the interaction network of these suspended profiles amongst themselves
The Web of False Information: Rumors, Fake News, Hoaxes, Clickbait, and Various Other Shenanigans
A new era of Information Warfare has arrived. Various actors, including
state-sponsored ones, are weaponizing information on Online Social Networks to
run false information campaigns with targeted manipulation of public opinion on
specific topics. These false information campaigns can have dire consequences
to the public: mutating their opinions and actions, especially with respect to
critical world events like major elections. Evidently, the problem of false
information on the Web is a crucial one, and needs increased public awareness,
as well as immediate attention from law enforcement agencies, public
institutions, and in particular, the research community. In this paper, we make
a step in this direction by providing a typology of the Web's false information
ecosystem, comprising various types of false information, actors, and their
motives. We report a comprehensive overview of existing research on the false
information ecosystem by identifying several lines of work: 1) how the public
perceives false information; 2) understanding the propagation of false
information; 3) detecting and containing false information on the Web; and 4)
false information on the political stage. In this work, we pay particular
attention to political false information as: 1) it can have dire consequences
to the community (e.g., when election results are mutated) and 2) previous work
show that this type of false information propagates faster and further when
compared to other types of false information. Finally, for each of these lines
of work, we report several future research directions that can help us better
understand and mitigate the emerging problem of false information dissemination
on the Web
A Process Evaluation of Intelligence Gathering Using Social Media for Emergency Management Organizations in California
When responding to an emergency, correct and timely information is often the difference between a successful response and a potential disaster. The information that emergency managers in California receive from the public often dictates how agencies respond to emergencies. The emergence of social media has presented several benefits to emergency managers regarding intelligence gathering during the emergency response process. Simultaneously, the emergence of social media has raised several concerns for the stakeholders involved. One major issue involves inaccurate information circulating on social media platforms during ongoing disasters. If emergency managers cannot discern incorrect information from correct information, disaster response may be less effective. Rumors and misinformation tend to circulate before, during, and after emergencies. Although incorrect information circulating on social media cannot be stopped in totality, emergency managers can use cutting-edge technology and strategies to discern and counteract false information. New technologies and intelligence gathering tools can be used as a source of intelligence to relay lifesaving information to the public. Past negative examples of inaccurate information on social media influencing stakeholder decision-making raise the focus of this research: How can emergency management agencies in California leverage the flow of valid information on social media during crisis conditions
How Emotions Unfold in Online Discussions After a Terror Attack
In the wake of a terror attack, social media is used for sharing thoughts and emotions, accessing and distributing information, and memorializing victims. Emotions are a big part of this, but there is a gap in our understanding on how those emotions evolve and what kinds of social media uses they are related to. Better understanding of the emotional and topical developments of online discussions can serve not only to fill the aforementioned gap, but also assist in developing better collective coping strategies for recovering from terror attacks. We examine what types of conversations unfolded online after the Boston Marathon Bombing and what kinds of emotions were associated with them, accounting for regional differences, and present a process model covering the general trends of such conversations. Although the phases apply to reactions to terror attacks on a general level, there are proximity-based differences to the location of the terror attack
Fake News on Twitter related to the Refugee Crisis 2016 : An exploratory case study
Master's thesis in Information systems (IS501)Fake news has,inrecentyears,gained traction in the public media and as a research topic. Events such as the U.S 2016 presidential election, Brexit,the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst others,have seen tracesof large amounts offake news in social media. Social media sites like Twitter have enabled individuals, politicians,and companies to sharecontent and opinions witha large numberof peopleacross the globe. This opportunityfor mass communication has also ledtoTwitter becoming a place for fake news sharing. Various narratives by various actors partakein the same public discussions,andknowing whatis true and whatis fake is increasingly difficult. The purpose of this study wastoexamine and analyze a previously not studied dataset of 14.3 million tweets related to the 2016 refugee crisisand attemptto find traces of fake news. Theresearch approachchosenwas an exploratory case studywith mixed data analysis.The analyzed focusedon findingthe characteristicsof tweets, the most prominent topics,identifyingfake news,some of the actors(webpages) spreading fake news,and classify the type of fake news.To identify what content was fake, an extensive amount of literature in combination with three fact-checking services were utilized
When Infodemic Meets Epidemic: a Systematic Literature Review
Epidemics and outbreaks present arduous challenges requiring both individual
and communal efforts. Social media offer significant amounts of data that can
be leveraged for bio-surveillance. They also provide a platform to quickly and
efficiently reach a sizeable percentage of the population, hence their
potential impact on various aspects of epidemic mitigation. The general
objective of this systematic literature review is to provide a methodical
overview of the integration of social media in different epidemic-related
contexts. Three research questions were conceptualized for this review,
resulting in over 10000 publications collected in the first PRISMA stage, 129
of which were selected for inclusion. A thematic method-oriented synthesis was
undertaken and identified 5 main themes related to social media enabled
epidemic surveillance, misinformation management, and mental health. Findings
uncover a need for more robust applications of the lessons learned from
epidemic post-mortem documentation. A vast gap exists between retrospective
analysis of epidemic management and result integration in prospective studies.
Harnessing the full potential of social media in epidemic related tasks
requires streamlining the results of epidemic forecasting, public opinion
understanding and misinformation propagation, all while keeping abreast of
potential mental health implications. Pro-active prevention has thus become
vital for epidemic curtailment and containment
- …