Home // International Journal On Advances in Internet Technology, volume 10, numbers 1 and 2, 2017 // View article

A Systematic Approach to Agent-Based Dynamic Analysis of Social Media Communication

Authors:
Jan Ole Berndt
Fabian Lorig
Ingo J. Timm
Christof Barth
Hans-Juergen Bucher

Keywords: Social Network Analysis; Networks of Communication; Data Collection and Handling; Agent-Based Modeling; Simulation Methodology

Abstract:
The omnipresence of information technology and the increasing popularity of online social networks (OSN) has led to a change in communication behavior. While companies benefit from this, i.e., through viral marketing campaigns, they are also challenged by negative phenomena, like Twitterstorms. However, existing empirical approaches and theories for analyzing the dynamics of social media communication processes and for predicting the success of a campaign have several shortcomings with respect to this change of communication. Agent-based social simulation (ABSS) provides approaches to overcome existing restrictions, e.g., privacy settings, and to develop a framework for the dynamic analysis of communication processes, e.g., for evaluating or testing OSN marketing strategies. This requires both a valid simulation model and a set of real world data serving as input for the model. In this paper, a systematic procedure for preparing and implementing such a model is developed. The paper describes an integrated process for collecting and analyzing the required data. In addition, it outlines the components of agentbased models for simulating OSN communication processes and demonstrates the necessary steps by examples.

Pages: 57 to 69

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2017. Used with permission.

Publication date: June 30, 2017

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2652