The Structure of Political Discussion Networks: A Model for the Analysis of Online Deliberation

Abstract

This paper shows that online political discussion networks are, on average, wider and deeper than the networks generated by other types of discussions: they engage a larger number of participants and cascade through more levels of nested comments. Using data collected from the Slashdot forum, this paper reconstructs the discussion threads as hierarchical networks and proposes a model for their comparison and classification. In addition to the substantive topic of discussion, which corresponds to the different sections of the forum (such as Developers, Games, or Politics), we classify the threads according to structural features like the maximum number of comments at any level of the network (i.e. the width) and the number of nested layers in the network (i.e. the depth). We find that political discussion networks display a tendency to cluster around the area that corresponds to wider and deeper structures, showing a significant departure from the structure exhibited by other types of discussions. We propose using this model to create a framework that allows the analysis and comparison of different internet technologies for the promotion of political deliberation.

Deliberative Platform Design: The Case Study of the Online Discussions in Decidim Barcelona

“…Morever, the last three metrics have been suggested to quantify the level of deliberation in online discussion threads [13]. This approach is based on the Madisonian conceptualization of deliberation as the conjugation of two dimensions: representation and argumentation [1].…”

The Daily Brew: The Structural Evolution of the Coffee Party on Facebook during the 2010 United States Midterm Election Season

“…This activity can lead to heated discourse. Recent research on political discussions within non-political groups has also found that political discussions tend to be more active than others (Gonzalez-Bailon, Kaltenbrunner, & Banchs, 2010).…”

“…We also build on prior work that utilizes social network analysis methods to understand comment streams. Previous research on the networks and discussion participation within online discussion forums has focused on comments streams in USENET forums and Slashdot (Gonzalez-Bailon, S., Kaltenbrunner, A., and Banchs, R. E. 2010, Fiore, LeeTiernan, Smith 2002, Gomez, Kaltenbrunner, Lopez, 2008. These studies have relied on the construction of networks and analysis of participation based on explicit connections made through replies to other previous posts.…”

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“…Relevant research and practice is heavily influenced by deliberative democracy theory, which is based on the assumption that "public, plural discussions offer a superior form of collective decision making" [1]. Consequently, preferences should not just be aggregated (as in voting) but should be rather "revised in the light of a preceding debate" [2].…”

“…Consequently, preferences should not just be aggregated (as in voting) but should be rather "revised in the light of a preceding debate" [2]. Despite its promises however, scholars soon concluded that putting the theory in practice is a challenging task [1,3].…”