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Authors:
Md. Monoarul Islam Bhuiyan
Shadi Shajari
Nitin Agarwal
Keywords: Focal Structure Analysis, Social Network Analysis, YouTube, Network Resiliency.
Abstract:
Communication networks play a pivotal role in shaping information dissemination across social media platforms. Identifying influential groups or key players within these networks is essential for understanding how information flows and spreads. YouTube, as the leading video-sharing platform, offers a vast and dynamic environment for such studies. Our extended research centers on Focal Structure Analysis (FSA), aiming to identify core commenter groups within 35 YouTube channels discussing the Indo-Pacific region. By analyzing a dataset containing 308,890 videos, 726,078 commenters, and 1,536,284 comments, we apply two distinct FSA methods, namely FSA 1.0 and FSA 2.0, to detect influential network structures. We further evaluate the impact of these structures using network resilience metrics, including flow robustness and the giant component ratio. Our findings indicate that removing key focal structures results in a more fragmented and sparse network, significantly impairing information flow. This suggests that these core commenter groups act as critical bridges, facilitating communication and enhancing the cohesion of the network. By extending our prior work, this study offers deeper insights into the mechanisms of information spread on YouTube, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the platform’s commenter dynamics.
Pages: 6 to 11
Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025
Publication date: March 9, 2025
Published in: conference
ISSN: 2519-8351
ISBN: 978-1-68558-238-8
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Dates: from March 9, 2025 to March 13, 2025