An automated multiscale map of conversations: mothers and matters

  • Authors:

  • Ansuya Ahluwalia;Allen Huang;Roja Bandari;Vwani Roychowdhury

  • Affiliations:

  • PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, India;University of California, Los Angeles;University of California, Los Angeles;University of California, Los Angeles

  • Venue:
  • SocInfo'12 Proceedings of the 4th international conference on Social Informatics
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

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.