Characterizing User Archetypes and Discussions on Scored.co

TL;DR

This paper develops a multi-dimensional hypernetwork framework to analyze user archetypes and interactions on the understudied social platform Scored.co, revealing insights into social dynamics and higher-order interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hypernetwork-based approach integrating user features to characterize archetypes and analyze social structures on a fringe platform.

Findings

Higher-order interactions are crucial for understanding social dynamics.

Distinct user archetypes have different roles and influence.

The framework effectively captures complex user behaviors over time.

Abstract

In recent years, the proliferation of social platforms has drastically transformed the way individuals interact, organize, and share information. In this scenario, we experience an unprecedented increase in the scale and complexity of interactions and, at the same time, little to no research about some fringe social platforms. In this paper, we present a multi-dimensional framework for characterizing nodes and hyperedges in social hypernetworks, with a focus on the understudied alt-right platform Scored.co. Our approach integrates the possibility of studying higher-order interactions, thanks to the hypernetwork representation, and various node features such as user activity, sentiment, and toxicity, with the aim to define distinct user archetypes and understand their roles within the network. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from Scored.co, we analyze the dynamics of these archetypes over time and explore their interactions and influence within the community. The framework's versatility allows for detailed analysis of both individual user behaviors and broader social structures. Our findings highlight the importance of higher-order interactions in understanding social dynamics, offering new insights into the roles and behaviors that emerge in complex online environments.