Mapping the South African Political Twittersphere

Relevance?

Who are the popular and/or influential individuals in my network?

Who is influencing whom within a specific topic of interest to me?

What is the nature of their influence i.e. how are they influencing people?

What sub-communities exist within my online community?

What topics are people talking about?

What are people saying about my brand, political party, charity, music, etc.?

What do these sub-communities believe and how do they relate to my brand/ organisation/etc?

Who is sharing my content online?

What are the emerging topics and trends?

Are they saying mostly positive or negative things?

How far is word of my brand or negative publicity being spread?

How is my messaging being shared online?

The South African Political Twittersphere

A paradigm shift…

Market researchers misunderstand social media research…

Source: Barber, Michael, 2011

Participants not respondents(CASRO)

“Private gardens” vs. public spaces

Advocating an environment where traditional research can’t compete with 3rd party developers

Two types of data

Actual tweets

Twitter user data

Number of tweets collected:@helenzille = 28,500@PresidencyZA = 3,500@SAPresident = 2,900

Time period: Sept 2011 – March 2012

Twee

ts d

ata

sum

mar

y

2.5 million

64,357

58,349

37,695

20,460

12,753

4,479

3Distance = 0

Distance <= 1

Distance <= 2

Distance <= 3

Distance <= 4

Cleaned

Collected

Targetnodes

Time period: April 2012

Source nodes

Twitter user data summary

1.02.03.0 Ego

HelenZille

SAPresident

PresidencyZA

1.01.52.0

1.01.52.0

2.0 1.5 1.0

Topic modellingHashtagsStructural networkBetweeness centralityAuthority (HITS)Community detectionInfluence networks

Type

s of

ana

lyse

s

Image sources: Knowledge Matters. http://www.durantlaw.info/category/miscellaneous/strategy Gutiérrez-Pérez, JA, et al. 2011. Application of graph-spectral methods in the vulnerability assessment of water supply networks

Actual tweets

Two types of data

@SAPresident + @PresidencyZA

@helenzille

Two types of data

Twitter user data

The South African political Twittersphere

Structural network by follower count

Top 10 by follower count

Structural network by betweeness centrality

Top 10 by betweeness centrality

Structural network by Authority

Top 10 by Authority

News media

Proudly SA& DA

Sportsmen & celebrities

Technology

Blackinfluentials

Community detectionLouvain

Community detectionLouvain

Helen Zille 157,642

Bryan Habana 100,141

John Smit84,529

Albie Morkel94,593

Mark Boucher84,564

Cricket South Africa 61,536

Trevor Immelman53,777

South African Rugby 60,280

Steve Hofmeyr39,351

94.7 Highveld Radio 37,554

Top 10 sportsmen & celebritiesFollower count

Rob van Vuuren16,610

Arno Carstens11,562

Cape Talk 56711,685

Alex van Tonder10,065

Sam Wilson6,756

Karen Zoid14,410

Lead SA18,786

Jeannie D38,858

Creative Cape Town 6,259

The Foodie (David)5,219

Top 10 sportsmen & celebritiesBetweeness centrality

Yaseen Theba77,191

Mail & Guardian57,320

South African Presidency 53,413

Redi Tlhabi45,866

Mandy Wiener31,296

SA Breaking News38,487

BBC Africa49,425

City Press36,376

allAfrica.com32,788

Evita Bezuidenhout30,139

Top 10 news mediaFollower count

Mandy Wiener31,296

Sam Mkokeli3,033

Ferial Haffajee29,530

Mail & Guardian57,320

Robyn Clark1,598

Sipho Hlongwane9,093

US South African Embassy 17,803

Verashni Pillay8,304

The Big Issue4,363

Stephen Grootes19,708

Top 10 news mediaBetweeness centrality

Aki Anastasiou28,063

Jaco van Wyk20,087

Simon Dingle15,386

Dave Duarte9,563

Toby Shapshak9,073

Finance248,184

Matthew Buckland7,033

Pieter Uys6,654

Duncan McLeod6,194

Top 10 technologyFollower count

Mxit7,651

Matthew Buckland7,033

Dave Duarte9,563

Aki Anastasiou28,063

Raoul de Jongh4,133

Toby Shapshak9,073

Saul Kropman2,530

Mike Sharman4,680

Uno de Waal2,469

Pete Flynn1,008

Cathryn Reece2,302

Top 10 technologyBetweeness centrality

Bonang Matheba231,696

Julius Malema (unconfirmed) 192,482

Dineo Ranaka142,745

Jacob Zuma136,403

Black Coffee97,302

David Kau83,169

Terry Pheto64,117

Pabi Moloi66,841

Claire Mawisa54,562

Kuli Roberts57,352

Top 10 black influentialsFollower count

Khaya Dlanga46,101

Simphiwe Dana33,986

TimesLIVE52,706

Julius Malema (unconfirmed) 192,482

Xolisa Dyeshana4,747

Jason Von Berg4,445

David Kau83,169

Zama Ndlovu6,718

Bonang Matheba231,696

Mvelase Peppetta 2,804

Top 10 black influentialsBetweeness centrality

Lindiwe Mazibuko30,460

SA The Good News12,483

Brand South Africa8,549

SouthAfrica.info8,575

City of Cape Town7,725

Ryan Coetzee3,528

Mmusi Maimane4,917

Tim Harris2,792

DA Youth3,239

Andrew Boraine2,214

Top 10 proudly SA & DAFollower count

Lindiwe Mazibuko30,460

Ryan Coetzee3,528

Climate Smart Cape Town 867

Tim Harris2,792

Mmusi Maimane4,917

Solly Malatsi853

Gareth van Onselen 2,085

Mbali Ntuli1,903

Cape Town Green Map 1,408

Phumzile Van Damme 1,588

Top 10 proudly SA & DABetweeness centrality

Influence is contextual

Actual tweets

Two types of data

#ANCYL#ANCYL #malema #ANCYLmarch | 143 tweets

#POIB#POIB #POSIB #stopthesecrecybill #secrecybill #BlackTuesday | 654 tweets

Interesting:@PatriciaDeLille:• High presence (mentions)• Low influence (interactions)

@hopeleighm @PresidencyZA

@SAPresident

@helenzille and members of the Democratic Alliance

CON

CLU

SIO

NS

Participants, not respondents

Paradigm shift

MR = computer science

3rd party disruptive innovation

Complex systemsA new kind of research

Public data

Influence and dynamics

Representative what!?

Thank you@socialphysicist

Appendices

Helen Zille Rob van Vuuren John Smit Arno Carstens Cape Talk 567

Bryan Habana Alex van Tonder Sam Wilson Karen Zoid Vanessa Raphaely

Top 10 sportsmen & celebritiesAuthority

Mail & Guardian Ferial Haffajee South African Presidency Mandy Wiener Stephen Grootes

Evita Bezuidenhout Redi Tlhabi Zapiro Max du Preez Philip de Wet

Top 10 news mediaAuthority

Aki Anastasiou Matthew Buckland Toby Shapshak Dave Duarte Simon Dingle

Duncan McLeod Memeburn Cherryflava Media Pieter Uys Mike Sharman

Top 10 technologyAuthority

Jacob Zuma TimesLIVE Khaya Dlanga Julius Malema (unconfirmed) Leanne Manas

Riaad Moosa Zakes Mda David Kau Simphiwe Dana Pabi Moloi

Top 10 black influentialsAuthority

Lindiwe Mazibuko Ryan Coetzee SA The Good News City of Cape Town Mmusi Maimane

Tim Harris David Maynier Gareth van Onselen Andrew Boraine Gareth Morgan

Top 10 proudly SA & DAAuthority

Topic modelling