A Computational Model of Dynamic Group Formation on Social Media

Abstract

We need process theories of how groups form dynamically on social media in response to news events. We perform an analytic ethnography of a case where groups formed on social media in response to incomplete news of an incident. The groups framed the incident in terms of existing narratives and called for action against those actors they perceived as the aggressors. Later, footage showed this framing to be inaccurate. Based on the analytic ethnography, we propose a computational model of how groups form in response to incomplete or inaccurate reports on social media.