Analyzing large scale political discussions on Twitter: the use case of the Greek wiretapping scandal (#ypoklopes)

TL;DR

This paper presents a methodology for analyzing large-scale political discussions on Twitter, applied to the Greek wiretapping scandal, revealing discussion patterns, polarization, and media influence, with publicly available data and tools.

Contribution

It introduces a replicable methodology for collecting and analyzing Twitter discussions on political events, demonstrated through the Greek wiretapping case.

Findings

Discussion evolved over time with notable polarization.

Media played a significant role in shaping the discourse.

Public engagement increased during key events.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the Greek wiretappings scandal, which has been revealed in 2022 and attracted a lot of attention by press and citizens. Specifically, we propose a methodology for collecting data and analyzing patterns of online public discussions on Twitter. We apply our methodology to the Greek wiretappings use case, and present findings related to the evolution of the discussion over time, its polarization, and the role of the media. The methodology can be of wider use and replicated to other topics. Finally, we provide publicly an open dataset, and online resources with the results.