Network Analysis of Water Contamination Discourse on Social Media Platforms

This study examines water contamination issues using social media data (n = 420.7 k) to unveil the roles and patterns from the top 10 most influential users in their respective networks determined by their reply, retweet, and mention networks. Findings from RQ1 show diverse entities within this group, encompassing political figures, organizations, cause-related actors (e.g., EPA), educational institutions, and high-activity accounts all contribute to the discourse on water contamination. While RQ2 sought to examine the evolution of discourse regarding water contamination and its related dynamics, instead, communication “shocks”, or deviations from typical discourse that returned to the original state, were identified, rather than revolutionary moments on social media that triggered long-term changes.