Evaluating Roles of Central Users in Online Communication Networks: A Case Study of #PanamaLeaks

TL;DR

This study conducts a long-term analysis of central users in online communication networks, specifically examining the dynamics and stability of opinion leaders over time using case studies of #PanamaLeaks.

Contribution

It critically evaluates a previous framework for identifying central users, extending it to long-term analysis and validating findings with additional case studies.

Findings

Not all types of central users persist long-term in online networks.

Opinion leaders' positions and influence change over time.

Some users maintain influence, while others become isolated.

Abstract

Social media has changed the ways of communication, where everyone is equipped with the power to express their opinions to others in online discussion platforms. Previously, a number of stud- ies have been presented to identify opinion leaders in online discussion networks. Feng ("Are you connected? Evaluating information cascade in online discussion about the #RaceTogether campaign", Computers in Human Behavior, 2016) identified five types of central users and their communication patterns in an online communication network of a limited time span. However, to trace the change in communication pattern, a long-term analysis is required. In this study, we critically analyzed framework presented by Feng based on five types of central users in online communication network and their communication pattern in a long-term manner. We take another case study presented by Udnor et al. ("Determining social media impact on the politics of developing countries using social network analytics", Program, 2016) to further understand the dynamics as well as to perform validation . Results indicate that there may not exist all of these central users in an online communication network in a long-term manner. Furthermore, we discuss the changing positions of opinion leaders and their power to keep isolates interested in an online discussion network.