2025/01/09 by Elena Candellone, Candellone, Elena, Shazia'Ayn Babul +7 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #Complex Network Analysis Techniques #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Social Media and Politics #Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2501.05590
openalex publication_date 2025/01/09 · openalex created_date 2025/01/14 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Human interactions in the online world comprise a combination of positive and negative exchanges. These diverse interactions can be captured using signed network representations, where edges take positive or negative weights to indicate the sentiment of the interaction between individuals. Signed networks offer valuable insights into online political polarization by capturing antagonistic interactions and ideological divides on social media platforms. This study analyzes polarization on Meneame, a Spanish social media platform that facilitates engagement with news stories through comments and voting. Using a dual-method approach, Signed Hamiltonian Eigenvector Embedding for Proximity (SHEEP) for signed networks and Correspondence Analysis (CA) for unsigned networks, we investigate how including negative ties enhances the understanding of structural polarization levels across different conversation topics on the platform. While the unsigned Meneame network effectively delineates ideological communities, only by incorporating negative ties can we identify ideologically extreme users who engage in antagonistic behaviors: without them, the most extreme users remain indistinguishable from their less confrontational ideological peers.