An Automated Multiscale Map of Conversations: Mothers and Matters

• Published in: Social Informatics pp. 15 - 28
• Main Authors: Ahluwalia, Ansuya, Huang, Allen, Bandari, Roja, Roychowdhury, Vwani
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin, Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2012
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Subjects: Community Detection; Content Analysis; Forums; Topic Modeling; Vaccination
• ISBN: 9783642353857; 3642353851
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-35386-4_2

By augmenting conventional techniques of topic modeling with unigram analysis and community detection, we establish an automated method that generates a comprehensive and meaningful summary of forum conversations over time that also sheds light on patterns of user behavior. We combine these methods to obtain a multiscale representation of what topics are being discussed, what the users are saying about each topic, how the conversation is evolving over time, and how friendships relate to content. As an example of our methodology, we examine discussion boards on Cafemom–an online hub for women to share their experiences and discuss their views on issues pertinent to child rearing. We apply the method with a focus on the issue of vaccination- a subject matter which has become controversial in recent years. We demonstrate how our methodology provides valuable insights into the evolution of conversations and highlights similarities in attitudes of socially connected users.