Modeling Evolutionary Dynamics of Lurking in Social Networks

Lurking is a complex user-behavioral phenomenon that occurs in all large-scale online communities and social networks. It generally refers to the behavior characterizing users that benefit from the information produced by others in the community without actively contributing back to the production of social content. The amount and evolution of lurkers may strongly affect an online social environment, therefore understanding the lurking dynamics and identifying strategies to curb this trend are relevant problems. In this regard, we introduce the Lurker Game, i.e., a model for analyzing the transitions from a lurking to a non-lurking (i.e., active) user role, and vice versa, in terms of evolutionary game theory. We evaluate the proposed Lurker Game by arranging agents on complex networks and analyzing the system evolution, seeking relations between the network topology and the final equilibrium of the game. Results suggest that the Lurker Game is suitable to model the lurking dynamics, showing how the adoption of rewarding mechanisms combined with the modeling of hypothetical heterogeneity of users' interests may lead users in an online community towards a cooperative behavior.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures. Accepted at CompleNet 201

Voice and silence in public debate: Modelling and observing collective opinion expression online

This thesis investigates how group-level differences in willingness of opinion expression shape the extent to which certain standpoints are visible in public debate online. Against the backdrop of facilitated communication and connection to like-minded others through digital technologies, models and methods are developed and case studies are carried out – by and large from a network perspective. To this end, we first propose a model of opinion dynamics that examines social- structural conditions for public opinion expression or even predominance of different groups. The model focuses not on opinion change, but on the decision of individuals whether to express their opinion publicly or not. Groups of agents with different, fixed opinions interact with each other, changing the willingness to express their opinion according to the feedback they receive from others. We formulate the model as a multi-group game, and subsequently provide a dynamical systems perspective by introducing reinforcement learning dynamics. We show that a minority can dominate public discourse if its internal connections are sufficiently dense. Moreover, increased costs for opinion expression can drive even internally well-connected groups into silence. We then focus on how interaction networks can be used to infer political and social positions. For this purpose, we develop a new type of force-directed network layout algorithm. While being widely used, a rigorous interpretation of the outcomes of existing force-directed algorithms has not been provided yet. We argue that interpretability can be delivered by latent space approaches, which have the goal of embedding a network in an underlying social space. On the basis of such a latent space model, we derive a force-directed layout algorithm that can not only be used for the spatialisation of generic network data – exemplified by Twitter follower and retweet networks, as well as Facebook friendship networks – but also for the visualization of surveys. Comparison to existing layout algorithms (which are not grounded in an interpretable model) reveals that node groups are placed in similar configurations, while said algorithms show a stronger intra-cluster separation of nodes, as well as a tendency to separate clusters more strongly in retweet networks. In two case studies, we observe actual public debate on the social media platform Twitter – topics are the Saxon state elections 2019, and violent riots in the city of Leipzig on New Year’s Eve in the same year. We show that through the interplay of retweet and reply networks, it is possible to identify differences in willingness of opinion expression on the platform between opinion groups. We find that for both events, propensities to get involved in debate are asymmetric. Users retweeting far-right parties and politicians are significantly more active, making their positions disproportionately visible. Said users also act significantly more confrontational in the sense that they reply mostly to users from different groups, while the contrary is not the case. The findings underline that naive reliance on what others express online can be collectively dangerous, especially in an era in which social media shapes public discourse to an unprecedented extent

Carthago Delenda Est: Co-opetitive Indirect Information Diffusion Model for Influence Operations on Online Social Media

For a state or non-state actor whose credibility is bankrupt, relying on bots to conduct non-attributable, non-accountable, and seemingly-grassroots-but-decentralized-in-actuality influence/information operations (info ops) on social media can help circumvent the issue of trust deficit while advancing its interests. Planning and/or defending against decentralized info ops can be aided by computational simulations in lieu of ethically-fraught live experiments on social media. In this study, we introduce Diluvsion, an agent-based model for contested information propagation efforts on Twitter-like social media. The model emphasizes a user's belief in an opinion (stance) being impacted by the perception of potentially illusory popular support from constant incoming floods of indirect information, floods that can be cooperatively engineered in an uncoordinated manner by bots as they compete to spread their stances. Our model, which has been validated against real-world data, is an advancement over previous models because we account for engagement metrics in influencing stance adoption, non-social tie spreading of information, neutrality as a stance that can be spread, and themes that are analogous to media's framing effect and are symbiotic with respect to stance propagation. The strengths of the Diluvsion model are demonstrated in simulations of orthodox info ops, e.g., maximizing adoption of one stance; creating echo chambers; inducing polarization; and unorthodox info ops, e.g., simultaneous support of multiple stances as a Trojan horse tactic for the dissemination of a theme.Comment: 60 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

A Little Birdie Said: How Twitter is Disrupting Shareholder Activism

Shareholders are organizing and mobilizing on new social media platforms like Twitter. This changes the dynamics of shareholder proxy contests in ways that favor shareholders over management. Disruptive technology may bring about a shareholder revolution, which may not be in shareholders’ best interests, at least from the perspective of shareholder wealth maximization, and it also has powerful implications for the future of corporate social responsibility

Access orders and the 'new' new institutional economics of development

This article examines the Access Order theories of development that have emerged as the latest reformulation of New Institutional Economics by Douglass North and his associates. They claim that Access Order theory represents a radical break from previous models of institutional change in developing countries. They argue that at the heart of development is the problem of controlling organized violence. Two distinct social orders, the Limited Access Order and the Open Access Order, have emerged as solutions to the problem of endemic violence. This article traces the evolution of these new ideas within North’s institutional theory and examines how violence is treated within their framework. The article evaluates the underlying economic model on which the theory is based and argues that the conceptual device of the Open Access Order preserves key features of the neoclassical approach within North's work. The article contrasts the Access Order approach to the political settlements framework. To conclude the article argues that the Access Order approach serves to strip the progressive potential out of development by ignoring how controlling violence may affect capabilities, rights and freedom

Accountability Infrastructure: How to implement limits on platform optimization to protect population health

Attention capitalism has generated design processes and product development decisions that prioritize platform growth over all other considerations. To the extent limits have been placed on these incentives, interventions have primarily taken the form of content moderation. While moderation is important for what we call "acute harms," societal-scale harms -- such as negative effects on mental health and social trust -- require new forms of institutional transparency and scientific investigation, which we group under the term accountability infrastructure. This is not a new problem. In fact, there are many conceptual lessons and implementation approaches for accountability infrastructure within the history of public health. After reviewing these insights, we reinterpret the societal harms generated by technology platforms through reference to public health. To that end, we present a novel mechanism design framework and practical measurement methods for that framework. The proposed approach is iterative and built into the product design process, and is applicable for both internally-motivated (i.e. self regulation by companies) and externally-motivated (i.e. government regulation) interventions for a range of societal problems, including mental health. We aim to help shape a research agenda of principles for the design of mechanisms around problem areas on which there is broad consensus and a firm base of support. We offer constructive examples and discussion of potential implementation methods related to these topics, as well as several new data illustrations for potential effects of exposure to online content.Comment: 63 pages, 5 tables and 6 figure

Digital Marketing During the Pandemic Period; A Study of Islamic Perspective

The Covid 19 pandemic caused significant changes, especially those relating to marketing that led to digital usage. This article aims to determine the prospects and effects of digital marketing in the pandemic period and develop the concept of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective. The methodology of this article uses a descriptive qualitative approach by analyzing various literature on digital marketing. The results of this study found that advances in information technology played a role in the development of digital marketing, especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The characterization of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective will open new avenues for future research and will make researchers more theoretical. Sensitive to the ontological and epistemological assumptions underlying Islamic marketing research. This article contributes to the development of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective by introducing and characterizing potential new fields of Islamic marketing research. In the future, business people must follow technological advancements as digital marketing media to increase their marketing

Digital Marketing During the Pandemic Period; A Study of Islamic Perspective

The Covid 19 pandemic caused significant changes, especially those relating to marketing that led to digital usage. This article aims to determine the prospects and effects of digital marketing in the pandemic period and develop the concept of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective. The methodology of this article uses a descriptive qualitative approach by analyzing various literature on digital marketing. The results of this study found that advances in information technology played a role in the development of digital marketing, especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The characterization of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective will open new avenues for future research and will make researchers more theoretical. Sensitive to the ontological and epistemological assumptions underlying Islamic marketing research. This article contributes to the development of digital marketing from an Islamic perspective by introducing and characterizing potential new fields of Islamic marketing research. In the future, business people must follow technological advancements as digital marketing media to increase their marketing