Network analysis reveals open forums and echo chambers in social media discussions of climate change
Network analysis reveals open forums and echo chambers in social media discussions of climate change
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DOI：
10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.03.006
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发表时间：
2015-05
影响因子：
8.9
通讯作者：
Hywel T. P. Williams;James R. McMurray;T. Kurz;F. H. Lambert
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Hywel T. P. Williams;James R. McMurray;T. Kurz;F. H. Lambert
处理气候变化这一复杂和有分歧的问题的行动将受到公众看法的强烈影响。在线社交媒体和相关的社交网络是一个日益重要的公共辩论论坛，众所周知，它们会影响个人的态度和行为，但人们对与气候变化有关的在线讨论和社交网络的了解还不够。在这里，我们构建了几种形式的社交网络，用户在流行的微博平台Twitter上交流气候变化。我们分类用户对气候变化的态度的消息内容的基础上，发现社交网络的特点是强烈的基于态度的同质性和隔离成两极分化的“怀疑”和“活动家”的群体。大多数用户只与志同道合的人互动，在由单一视图主导的社区中。然而，我们也发现了持不同态度的社区，其中怀疑论者和活动家经常互动。志同道合的用户之间的消息通常带有积极情绪，而怀疑者和活动家之间的消息则带有消极情绪。我们确定了一些一般模式的用户行为与参与不同的观点。表达负面情绪的用户本身就是负面情绪的目标。在态度混合的社区中，用户不太可能持有强烈的两极分化观点，但更有可能对其他持不同观点的用户表达负面情绪。总体而言，社交媒体上关于气候变化的讨论往往发生在两极分化的“回音室”中，但也发生在“开放论坛”中，即减少两极分化并激发辩论的态度各异的社区。我们的研究结果对公众参与这一重要的全球挑战具有影响。
Action to tackle the complex and divisive issue of climate change will be strongly influenced by public perception. Online social media and associated social networks are an increasingly important forum for public debate and are known to influence individual attitudes and behaviours – yet online discussions and social networks related to climate change are not well understood. Here we construct several forms of social network for users communicating about climate change on the popular microblogging platform Twitter. We classify user attitudes to climate change based on message content and find that social networks are characterised by strong attitude-based homophily and segregation into polarised “sceptic” and “activist” groups. Most users interact only with like-minded others, in communities dominated by a single view. However, we also find mixed-attitude communities in which sceptics and activists frequently interact. Messages between like-minded users typically carry positive sentiment, while messages between sceptics and activists carry negative sentiment. We identify a number of general patterns in user behaviours relating to engagement with alternative views. Users who express negative sentiment are themselves the target of negativity. Users in mixed-attitude communities are less likely to hold a strongly polarised view, but more likely to express negative sentiment towards other users with differing views. Overall, social media discussions of climate change often occur within polarising “echo chambers”, but also within “open forums”, mixed-attitude communities that reduce polarisation and stimulate debate. Our results have implications for public engagement with this important global challenge.