How Misinformation Spreads Through Twitter

While living in the age of information, an inherent drawback to such high exposure to content lends itself to the precarious rise of misinformation. Whether it is called “alternative facts,” “fake news,” or just incorrect information, because of its pervasiveness in nearly every political and policy discussion, the spread of misinformation is seen as one of the greatest challenges to overcome in the 21st century. As new technologies emerge, a major piece of both content creation and the perpetuation of misinformation are social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. As news events emerge, whether be a pandemic, a mass shooting, or an election campaign, it is difficult to divulge the facts from fiction when so many different “facts” appear. This study looks at 14,545,945 tweets generated in the wake of the 1 October mass shooting and its second anniversary to identify how much of the public response is fogged by information pollution, to identify what kind of misinformation is spread and how it spreads on Twitter and news coverage

Signs of Digital Distress: The Mountain West

This Fact Sheet examines the broadband services available and their subscription rates across major metro areas in the Mountain West, using the data and analysis found in “Signs of Digital Distress,” a report by the Brookings Institution

Digitalization and the American Workforce

This Fact Sheet examines the rate of digitalization within the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) of the Mountain West division using the findings and data from Digitalization and the American Workforce, a report from the Brookings Institution

How Startups Help Cities Measure Their Economic Development Frontier

This Fact Sheet provides data on the ability of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West to foster innovative and technology-driven industries, utilizing information presented by the Brookings Institution report, “How startups help cities measure their economic development frontier

Migration of Millennials and Seniors in the Mountain West

This Fact Sheet examines trends in intraregional migration of millennials and seniors since the Great Recession, with a focus on the Mountain West. The data presented were originally published in a report by the Brookings Institution, titled “How migration of millennials and seniors has shifted since the Great Recession.

Foot Traffic & Walkable Urbanism

This fact sheet highlights the performance and expansion of WalkUPs (regionally significant, walkable areas) with a focus on Denver, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Las Vegas as detailed in Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros, a report by George Washington University

COVID-19: Economic Recovery, Twitter, and Public Perception of Las Vegas

This Fact Sheet analyzes responses posted on Twitter following an interview conducted by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, who interviewed Carolyn Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, concerning the re-opening of the Las Vegas economy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ukraine-Russia War: Nevada Twitter and Disinformation Trends

This fact sheet analyzes responses to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War posted on Twitter by users located in Nevada and identifies the most circulated narratives and disinformation topics