Project Title: Online Sentiment Spreading Patterns of Social Movements and Campaigns
Project Description: 1st trending hashtag, millions of followers, reposts by some celebrities – ways of mass communication have changed since the emergence of online social networking platforms. Increasingly connected by the web, people extend their interactions from in-person, innovate drastically different methods of socialization, and network online. As individuals gauge interests and gather thoughts in the public space online, echo chambers to amplify similar sentiments are created. Collective actions appear as a logical outcome to reinforce the collective identities within crowds and realize the shared goals of the groups. But how are the sentiments spread online and what is the pattern of the dynamics within? How are people connected and what sentiments under what circumstances got spread out? What are the implications of online sentiment spreading on grassroots movements, especially in authoritarian regimes where other forms of collective actions are rarely allowed? Intending to solve these puzzles with credible answers, my project methodology will be primarily in the area of computational social science, with a focus on social network analysis.
Most Important Accomplishment: I’m proud of myself for using College Scholar funding to present my work at a conference, and I hope my most important accomplishment is still yet to come!
Reflections on the College Scholar Program: College Scholar Program has been a great platform for me to know a community of scholars who are interested in the most cutting-edge and interdisciplinary fields. I feel strongly supported by not only the resources that our program has, but also the opportunities beyond the program, extending to academic research and professional development. I’m excited to see what I’ll become after the whole College Scholar experience.