Rworld politics
LONDON — Sports fans and politics buffs are not all that different in how their interactions evolve online as major events approach, new research has found.
As a big game or a major election edges closer, a recent study of user interactions on the social media platform Reddit found that conversations move from being diverse and sporadic to becoming more excitable and focused.
The language used in user posts also becomes more repetitive as the event nears.
The findings were made by Riccardo Di Clemente, associate professor in the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University in London, and academic colleagues in a peer-reviewed paper titled: “Highly engaging events reveal semantic and temporal compression in online community discourse.”
Related: Northeastern data scientist used social media and AI to detect PTSD symptoms in COVID-19 survivors
It did not matter whether the event was the Super Bowl or the U.K.’s Brexit deadline, researchers found that the way interactions on Reddit developed was the same across a range of different sporting and political scenarios that they studied.
“The recurring patterns we discovered,” the paper says, “are persistent across a wide
The two-year Master in World politics and international relations is taught entirely in English and aims to provide a broad, multidisciplinary training in comparative and international studies, in particular in the areas of politics, history, statute and economics. The courses in comparative studies aim to refine the student’s ability to interpret and analyse the different political systems of the world as outcomes of path dependent economic and political structures and developments. The courses in international studies aim to deepen the student’s understanding of how the interactions among political systems have unfolded in the most important geopolitical settings, and of how they influence contemporary trends in challenging and answering the basic goals of political systems and human security. Most of the instruction is interactive, involving student participation, presentations and discussions, and essay writing. Some courses also involve the participation of outside speakers and practitioners. In the second year, students have the chance to gain some work life and professional training, and many visit non-Italian universities on exchange programs. The degree course attracts
The Surprising Outcome of Community Moderation in Reddit Politics Discussions
How can democratic societies host hard conversations about our conflicts in ways that keep important conversations going rather than shut them down? If you’ve been online at all this year, you’ve probably witnessed a heated conversation with deep disagreement, whether it’s about wars, injustice, or even just the question of who gets to speak.
While some disagreement may be productive, it’s not uncommon to see conversations slip into rule-violating behavior, such as flaming or personal attacks. On Reddit, volunteer moderators are tasked with reducing this kind of behavior. However, they have limited tools at their disposal, relying mostly on punitive measures, such as removing content and banning users. While these tools can help stop violations in their tracks, they may not help users learn how to participate productively in a community in the future.
- How can we improve users’ experience of bans and suspensions?
- What can online communities do to improve diverse dialog on contentious topics?
Few communities know this challenge better than r/politics, one of the world
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Persistent political turmoil has a way of blurring the lines between change and continuity. So it is with Thailand, where veteran politician Anutin Charnvirakul was elected prime minister in a parliamentary vote Friday, convincingly defeating the ruling coalition’s preferred candidate. Anutin will be the country’s third leader in as many years.
His election caps off a week of drama and intrigue that began when the powerful Constitutional Court ousted his predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ruling she had committed an ethical lapse during a leaked phone call in June with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen. That incident prompted Anutin’s conservative Bhumjaithai party to withdraw from the coalition and position itself as an alternative to Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party.
Known as a well-connected dealmaker, Anutin was able to secure the support of the largest political party in the lower house of the National Assembly, the progressive People’s Party. He is expected to be sworn in in the coming days.
That leaves Pheu Thai, a dominant force in Thai politics for the past quarter century, looking increasingly diminished. It was once a populist machine driven by Paetongtarn’s father,