Tweeting Grenfell: Discourse and networks in critical constructions of British Muslim social boundaries on social media

Downing, Joseph; Dron, Richard

doi:10.1177/1461444819864572

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Contrary to what happens with the analysis of controversial topics that can polarize opinions (Burgess & Matamoros-Fernández, 2016;Downing & Droon, 2019) and where it is possible to identify such opinions among different clusters, in the case of Article 13 the content producers on YouTube seemed to agree. Article 13 did not originate different opinions but was discussed among different categories of content such as comedy, entertainment, gaming or music with a more or less political vein, more or less depth, portraying the diversity of YouTube content.…”

Section: Article 13 On Youtubecontrasting

confidence: 60%

“…These relations between news media and social media are, most of the time, symbiotic (Downing & Droon, 2019), with social media users liking, commenting and sharing on the news raw material provided by traditional news media. In the issue of Article 13, however, the opposite occurred, which converts this case into a good observation point for assessing the relative influence of each field.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Article 13 on social media and news media: disintermediation and reintermediation on the modern media landscape

Moreno¹,

Sepúlveda²

2021

Communication & Society

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The former Article 13 (now Article 17) of the European directive on copyright and the internet (Directive EC2019/790) has been under negotiations since 2016 and was finally approved in 2019. In Portugal, however, the issue was mostly absent from public scrutiny and debate until November 2018. In that month, the issue arose to a prominent level, both in news media and in social media, following a wave of alerts issued by various young youtubers, incentivized by YouTube management. In this paper, we engage in the discussion concerning disintermediation, studying the way in which such alerts spread both in news media and social media, and understanding the role played by the users of social media platforms in modelling the social relevance and the social discourse of the issue of copyright and the internet. To do so, we used digital methods, collecting and analysing data from Twitter, YouTube and from online news media, mapping Article 13 discussions and identifying key actors in each field, as well as the connections between them. The results show that the ease of access provided by platforms such as Twitter or YouTube converts some users to prominent influencers and that, in some cases, those influencers are able to shift and model the public discourse about relevant collective issues.

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Section: Article 13 On Youtubecontrasting

confidence: 60%

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Article 13 on social media and news media: disintermediation and reintermediation on the modern media landscape

Moreno¹,

Sepúlveda²

2021

Communication & Society

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“…Academics have been alarmed at the rate of fake news and misinformation across social media [28][29][30][31][32]. Initially, social media platforms had been praised for their ability to spread liberal messages during events such as the Arab Spring [22] and during the initial launch of WikiLeaks [33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 and the 5G Conspiracy Theory: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data

Ahmed¹,

Vidal-Alaball²,

Downing³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

Self Cite

649

506

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Background Since the beginning of December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly around the world, which has led to increased discussions across online platforms. These conversations have also included various conspiracies shared by social media users. Amongst them, a popular theory has linked 5G to the spread of COVID-19, leading to misinformation and the burning of 5G towers in the United Kingdom. The understanding of the drivers of fake news and quick policies oriented to isolate and rebate misinformation are keys to combating it. Objective The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of the drivers of the 5G COVID-19 conspiracy theory and strategies to deal with such misinformation. Methods This paper performs a social network analysis and content analysis of Twitter data from a 7-day period (Friday, March 27, 2020, to Saturday, April 4, 2020) in which the #5GCoronavirus hashtag was trending on Twitter in the United Kingdom. Influential users were analyzed through social network graph clusters. The size of the nodes were ranked by their betweenness centrality score, and the graph’s vertices were grouped by cluster using the Clauset-Newman-Moore algorithm. The topics and web sources used were also examined. Results Social network analysis identified that the two largest network structures consisted of an isolates group and a broadcast group. The analysis also revealed that there was a lack of an authority figure who was actively combating such misinformation. Content analysis revealed that, of 233 sample tweets, 34.8% (n=81) contained views that 5G and COVID-19 were linked, 32.2% (n=75) denounced the conspiracy theory, and 33.0% (n=77) were general tweets not expressing any personal views or opinions. Thus, 65.2% (n=152) of tweets derived from nonconspiracy theory supporters, which suggests that, although the topic attracted high volume, only a handful of users genuinely believed the conspiracy. This paper also shows that fake news websites were the most popular web source shared by users; although, YouTube videos were also shared. The study also identified an account whose sole aim was to spread the conspiracy theory on Twitter. Conclusions The combination of quick and targeted interventions oriented to delegitimize the sources of fake information is key to reducing their impact. Those users voicing their views against the conspiracy theory, link baiting, or sharing humorous tweets inadvertently raised the profile of the topic, suggesting that policymakers should insist in the efforts of isolating opinions that are based on fake news. Many social media platforms provide users with the ability to report inappropriate content, which should be used. This study is the first to analyze the 5G conspiracy theory in the context of COVID-19 on Twitter offering practical guidance to health authorities in how, in the context of a pandemic, rumors may be combated in the future.

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“…It seems that people prefer information that appears novel and astounding than accurate and scientific reports [46]. Many authors have pointed out the danger of fake news and misinformation across social media [47][48][49]. The vast majority of citizens worldwide acquire information about COVID-19 through social media without checking the source [22,34,36,50].…”

Section: Scientific and Social Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 pandemic in America: A preliminary systematic review

Sarria-Guzmán

Fusaro

Bernal

et al. 2021

J Infect Dev Ctries

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Introduction: On the eleventh of March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic by the number of cases and deaths worldwide: more than 91.1 million confirmed cases and approx. 1.9 million deaths globally, as of date. The aims of this systematic review were to identify and to evaluate the reports associated on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 pandemic in America. Methodology: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted for searching reports published from December 2019 to September 2020, regarding “COVID-19 KAP” across six electronic databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were taken up to select the articles and focus to the topic. Results: Thirteen scientific papers were finally eligible and included in this systematic review. The surveys were directed to common citizens, healthcare workers and patients with chronic conditions. General public acquired information about COVID-19 mainly through social media; several misconceptions due to falsehoods circulating on-line were identified. The pandemic COVID-19 has severely affected the physical and emotional health of many people in America. Nevertheless, many American citizens do not recognize or have poor knowledge about COVID-19 risks. Conclusions: This systematic review brings information for governments and scientific community that may be useful in the development of official awareness and prevention campaigns aiming mainly at marginated groups of the society.

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Tweeting Grenfell: Discourse and networks in critical constructions of British Muslim social boundaries on social media

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

Article 13 on social media and news media: disintermediation and reintermediation on the modern media landscape

Article 13 on social media and news media: disintermediation and reintermediation on the modern media landscape

COVID-19 and the 5G Conspiracy Theory: Social Network Analysis of Twitter Data

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 pandemic in America: A preliminary systematic review

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