Influencers in the Political Conversation on Twitter: Identifying Digital Authority with Big Data

Abstract

Interactivity is a defining characteristic of social media. Connections among users shape the network and have a direct impact on the political conversations that take place on digital platforms. In the hybrid media system, digital discussions can have an impact on both the agenda of mainstream media and the offline political life. In this context, determining who and how social influence is exercised is crucial. My objective is to identify the influencers with the greatest digital authority to guide and determine the political conversation on Twitter. For this, I have studied the process to form a Government in Spain. Machine learning techniques are used on a big data sample of 127.3 million tweets. The analysis is based on social network analysis and uses eigencentrality, a measure that determines the digital authority of users. This study focuses on the 250 accounts of the most prominent influencers. The results show that the political and media elites extend their leading roles as influencers in the digital environment. However, there is also evidence of the beginning of the breakdown of its monopoly on digital public debate and its opening to new social actors. Additionally, the data demonstrate the importance of the external socio-political context as a determining element of the exercise of social influence in the political conversation on Twitter.