Exploring Digital Communication Practices in Social Media : A Case Study Using Custom Term-Weighting Methodology / Elias Cunha Bitencourt and Leonardo Pastor Bernardes Rodrigues.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bitencourt, Elias Cunha, author.

Bernardes Rodrigues, Leonardo Pastor, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Digital communications.

Social media--Research.

Social media.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2025.

Summary:

This Case Study explores the understandings gained from developing an experimental methodology to map digital communication practices on social media platforms. Traditional content-analysis methods often overlook the broader patterns of usage, appropriation, and behavior that shape online communication visibility and targeting. To address this, we adapted the class-based term frequency-inverse document frequency model to better capture and analyze these digital practices. A smoothing adjustment was introduced to account for entity recurrence, and measures were developed to assess the contextual usage of the most representative entities within each practice. This methodology, when combined with a data-visualization interface, allows for the classification of practices as exclusive, contrastive, or diluted depending on their distribution and significance within user groups. Rather than detailing the method, this Case Study focuses on the rationale behind key decisions, the motivations for creating the approach, and its potential applications. The methodology's potential is illustrated using a dataset of Instagram posts from Brazilian influencers, demonstrating how to interpret the results and identify how different groups may prioritize certain digital communication practices over others. This approach enables researchers to explore the dynamics of digital communication, moving beyond content analysis to examine the traces of digital materiality that influence content visibility and engagement on digital platforms. The methodology is flexible and can be adapted to alternative research agendas, including studying other social phenomena such as online protests or disinformation campaigns.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-03-621718-3

9781036217181

OCLC:

1523170944