iSchool Capstone

Tracking Users Across Parler and Twitter

Project tags:

information behavior & user research

social media

Research Award
Project poster

The riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021, exemplify in dramatic fashion the potential for problematic online narratives to have offline consequences. More work is needed to better understand the impacts of mis/disinformation and its role in such events. Using case studies of users across Parler and Twitter, I found that definitions of acceptable conservativism are becoming more narrowly defined and that there is increasing narrative-based collaboration between international conservative groups. These are important discoveries that will increase researchers’ understandings of mis/disinformation and help align solutions designed to mitigate these problems.

Project participants:

Stephen Prochaska

MSIM