Validation of Dunbar's number in Twitter conversations

Modern society's increasing dependency on online tools for both work and recreation opens up unique opportunities for the study of social interactions. A large survey of online exchanges or conversations on Twitter, collected across six months involving 1.7 million individuals is presented here. We test the theoretical cognitive limit on the number of stable social relationships known as Dunbar's number. We find that users can entertain a maximum of 100-200 stable relationships in support for Dunbar's prediction. The "economy of attention" is limited in the online world by cognitive and biological constraints as predicted by Dunbar's theory. Inspired by this empirical evidence we propose a simple dynamical mechanism, based on finite priority queuing and time resources, that reproduces the observed social behavior.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Analysis of Retweeting Behavior Using Topic Models

Igapäevase eluga põimunud virtuaalsed sotsiaalvõrgustikud omavad üha kasvavat rolli sotsiaalsetes ja ärilistes nähtustes. Microblogging teenused nagu Twitter mängivad olulist rolli Interneti infovahetuses, muutes võimalikuks sõnumite leviku minutitega. Käesolevas uurimuses analüüsitakse korduvalt edastatavate sõnumite (retweet) levikut Twitteris. Kasutades Latent Dirichlet Allocation mudelit teemade eristamiseks näitame, et kasutajate ja sõnumites sisalduvate teemade vaheline suhteline kaugus on lühem korduvalt edastatavatel sõnumitel. Kasutades otsustuspuid hindame teemapõhise retweet mudeli täpsust ja kasulikkust. Töö tulemusena näitame, et teemapõhine mudel on tugevama ennustusvõimega võrreldes baseline mudelitega, millest lähtuvalt väidame, et antud lähenemine on sobiv korduvalt edastavate sõnumite ennustamiseks ning edasiseks arenduseks.Social networks are nowadays a constant presence in our lives and increasingly have a role in important social and commercial phenomena. Microblogging services such as Twitter appear to play an important role in the process of information dissemination on the Internet making it possible for messages to spread virally in a matter of minutes. In this research work we study the mechanism of re-broadcasting (called “retweeting”) information on Twitter; specifically we use Latent Dirichlet Allocation to analyze users and messages in terms of the topics that compose their text bodies and by means of ANOVA we are able to show that the topical distance between users and messages is shorter for tweets that are retweeted than for those that are not. Using Decision Tree learning we build several models in order to assess the accuracy and usefulness of our topic-based model of retweeting. Our results show that our topic-based model slightly outperforms a baseline prediction measure, so we conclude that such model is indeed a valid option to consider for predicting retweet behavior with possibilities open for improvement

Porsgrunn kommune "likes" Facebook : en studie om bruk av sosiale medier i kommunal sektor

Masteroppgave i samfunnskommunikasjon- Universitetet i Agder 2012Facebook has until recently been used by private individuals rather than governmental organizations. Figures from Difi (Agency for Public Management and eGovernment) says that Facebook has 2,5 millions Norwegian members per 01.2012. This study will explore what are the factors that come into play, when Porsgrunn municipality adopt Facebook to improve inhabitants' dialogue, their cooperation and democratic development. Current research shows that the participation of inhabitants, is very important for the municipality if they want to succeed in their use of Facebook. Even more importantly is the municipality´s will to listen, participate and encourage inhabitants to participate in the ongoing Facebook activities. As a result of globalization and technological innovations, the inhabitants developt an information need, even on digital communications arenas. This study also sheds light on system theory, which points to the possibility for the municipality to practicing two-way symmetrical communication, rather than the two-way asymmetric, by using Facebook. The result indicates that the use of Facebook is related to a number of social variables, including age, employment, personals interests and level of education. Generally, the responsibility for the municipality´s Facebook activities were divided into several departments, with various knowledge and expertise among the employees. The municipality primarily uses Facebook as an information channel rather than to promote dialogue. Primarily, Facebook is introduced as a result of a trend. The surroundings and the inhabitants of municipality seems to lie ahead of the municipality in the development and integration of digital communication tools, and has developed a need that the municipality does not seem to satisfy. The municipality is skeptical about the feedback provided on Facebook, which results in a negative effect on the intended dialogue. This is because the dialogue is driven by the fact that both parties are acting responsive and cooperative, which the municipality does not do. More knowledge is needed on the potential value of introducing Facebook to be able to utilize the potential and further develop services provided through Facebook. The understanding of the direct high and close relationship between the mayor and the citizens seemed to be an important reason, as to way the mayor succeeded in his use of Facebook, to promote political dialogue. The mayor himself has knowledge about the possibilities for reputation management - and building relationships through Facebook, which can be crucial to his political reputation. The municipality is currently focusing on their strategic use on Facebook, and the awareness of the policy - and information security challenges by integrating Facebook as a part of their communication strategy

Creating Convenience : How Virtual Reality allows for Augmented Relationships

This dissertation uses Heidegger’s critique of technology and its essence in an attempt to understand how Virtual Reality technology can change how we interact with the world and each other. The history of VR devices is unpacked to understand the motivation behind VR’s uses and development. Merleau-Ponty’s theories about embodied experiences are also used to understand how VR has an increased capacity to generate a sense of telepresence in the virtual environment for the user. Cases are investigated that specifically deals with how VR has influenced human interactions and rituals and made them more convenient to the users. The first cases focus on religion and how it changes when it is taken online. Specific focus is given to the Church of Fools online church and D.J. Soto’s VR church. The difference between how an online church operates is compared to the VR Church and how embodiment in the VE is experienced in each. This dissertation also explores cases where a user enters a ‘cross-dimensional’ relationship with the virtual. Two cases of people marrying virtual characters are examined. In these cases, the user entered a relationship with a character that was constructed by someone else. The other case examined, is that of Sgt.Hale (username) who created and then married a virtual character in a VE that he designed and based on a real-world location. In each of the relevant cases, how technology has influenced and, in a sense, encouraged them, is explored and unpacked.Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2020.Visual ArtsMAUnrestricte

Quem são eles?: análise da construção da identidade, formas de interação e laços sociais dos portugueses e brasileiros no facebook

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Publicidade e Relações Públicas)Esta investigação busca descobrir de que modo é construído a identidade e de que forma ocorre a interação e a criação de laços sociais no Facebook dos sujeitos portugueses e dos sujeitos brasileiros. Partimos de um enquadramento teórico que cruza os conceitos de Cibercultura, Redes Sociais, Facebook, Identidade, Interação e Laços Sociais. O trabalho empírico consiste na análise de conteúdo do perfil dos usuários, assim como a aplicação e interpretação de um inquérito relativo às percepções dos usuários acerca de seus comportamentos e atitudes naquela rede social. Esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de compreender as atitudes e a atuação dos usuários, a partir de 34 sujeitos portugueses e 34 sujeitos brasileiros no Facebook, com o intuito de encontrar respostas ou explorar pistas para desenvolver estratégias de comunicação. Em última instância, os resultados desta investigação podem ser úteis na prática da atividade publicitária. As conclusões permitirão refletir sobre a importância e a contribuição das questões levantadas para a comunicação estratégica nas redes sociais, com ênfase no Facebook, identificando o que os sujeitos almejam para construírem suas identidades, como interagem e criam laços com os demais.This research paper seeks to discover how identity is constructed and how the interaction and the creation of social ties on Facebook happen for and between Portuguese and Brazilians subjects. We start with a theoretical framing that covers Cyberculture, Social Networks, Facebook, Identity, Interaction and Social Ties concepts. The empirical work consists of a content analysis of the users‟ profiles and the application and interpretation of a questionnaire concerning the users‟ perceptions about their behaviors and attitudes on Facebook. This study aims to understand the attitudes and actions of 34 Portuguese subjects and 34 Brazilian subjects on Facebook, in order to find answers or explore leads in the development of communication strategies. Ultimately, the results of this research paper may be useful in the advertising sector. The conclusions will allow a reflection on the importance and the contribution of the discussed issues for strategic communication in social networks, with emphasis on Facebook, identifying what the subjects aim when building their identities, how they interact and create bonds with others