Rising tides or rising stars?: Dynamics of shared attention on Twitter during media events

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 5; p. e94093
• Main Authors: Lin, Yu-Ru, Keegan, Brian, Margolin, Drew, Lazer, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 22.05.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Attention; Audiences; Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Broadcasting; Changes; Communication; Communications Media; Computer and Information Sciences; Computer supported cooperative work; Credibility; Digital media; Elite (Social sciences); Elites; False information; Humanities; Humans; International conferences; Interpersonal communication; Interpersonal Relations; Knowledge management; Mass media; Media; Political activism; Presidential elections; Science; Screens; Social aspects; Social behavior; Social factors; Social interaction; Social interactions; Social Media; Social networks; Social Perception; Social processes; Social Sciences; Time Factors; Time periods; United States; United States; New York; United States > US; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094093

"Media events" generate conditions of shared attention as many users simultaneously tune in with the dual screens of broadcast and social media to view and participate. We examine how collective patterns of user behavior under conditions of shared attention are distinct from other "bursts" of activity like breaking news events. Using 290 million tweets from a panel of 193,532 politically active Twitter users, we compare features of their behavior during eight major events during the 2012 U.S. presidential election to examine how patterns of social media use change during these media events compared to "typical" time and whether these changes are attributable to shifts in the behavior of the population as a whole or shifts from particular segments such as elites. Compared to baseline time periods, our findings reveal that media events not only generate large volumes of tweets, but they are also associated with (1) substantial declines in interpersonal communication, (2) more highly concentrated attention by replying to and retweeting particular users, and (3) elite users predominantly benefiting from this attention. These findings empirically demonstrate how bursts of activity on Twitter during media events significantly alter underlying social processes of interpersonal communication and social interaction. Because the behavior of large populations within socio-technical systems can change so dramatically, our findings suggest the need for further research about how social media responses to media events can be used to support collective sensemaking, to promote informed deliberation, and to remain resilient in the face of misinformation.