This document summarizes a study analyzing Twitter data during a 6-hour period surrounding an airing of the TV show "X Factor 5" in Italy. The study collected over 22,000 tweets from over 5,000 users, analyzing patterns of retweets, mentions, hashtags, and link sharing. It found that users who were more central in the retweet network were more likely to gain new Twitter followers during the TV show airing. The document considers whether engagement was specific to the Twitter network or the TV show topic. Finally, it discusses potential next steps like analyzing network stability and crisis events on social media.

1. Conversation Practices and
Network Structure in Twitter
Does hashtag participation generate new followers?
Luca Rossi - University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”
Matteo Magnani - University of Aarhus

2. Data acquisition:
6 hours (from 19:28:16 pm of Jan, 5th to 01:31:55 am of Jan. 6th 2012) .
streaming API
list of participants
REST API
network of followers of a sample of these users
(50%) once every 20 minutes.

3. Tweets 22287 (da 19:28:16 del 5 Gen a 01:31:55 del 6 Gen) > 3700 tph
5137 Users
avg.4.34 tweets (st.dev. 7.58)
RT= 5382 (24,25%)
@= 1214 (5,45%)
Link= 1347 (6,04%)

4. Tweets 22287 (da 19:28:16 del 5 Gen a 01:31:55 del 6 Gen) > 3700 tph
5137 Users
avg.4.34 tweets (st.dev. 7.58)
RT= 5382 (24,25%)
@= 1214 (5,45%)
Link= 1347 (6,04%)

5. Tweets 22287 (da 19:28:16 del 5 Gen a 01:31:55 del 6 Gen) > 3700 tph
5137 Users
avg.4.34 tweets (st.dev. 7.58)
RT= 5382 (24,25%)
@= 1214 (5,45%)
Link= 1347 (6,04%)
xf5

6. #xf5- @net

7. Relevant users within the @net are official
account related to the TV show

8. @net shows no real interactions but
messaged addressed to specific users.
@alecattelan now that #xf5 is over, you can
say it... Chimera your favourite?
@Simo_Ventura #XF5 #XFactor5 Please
change Francesca’s dress now! That’s not the
debutante ball!
@Simo_Ventura #XF5 #XFactor5 Now
Francesca has the perfect look!
Cheers @Simo_Ventura she’s winning
@XFactor_Italia for her first time
Good luck to @alecattelan! We know you
are the best!

9. #xf5 - RTnet

10. Relevant users within the RTnet (except for
the official account) are not official users
related to the TV show but “normal” Twitter
users
RT net
main conponent
(filter deg >3)

11. #xf5
RT @XFactor_Italia: FINALISSIMA di #XF5! Si
parte ora con Xtra Factor, e dalle 21.10 il gran
finale!
RT @titofaraci: Sul sito di repubblica (prima che lo
correggano). #XF5 @AilenGamberoni http://t.co/
j0SFL87P
83832047

12. corr. 0,61 corr. 0,88
corr. 0,75
Correlation between
degree centrality on the
RTnet and on @net and
the acquisition of new
followers during the airing
time.

13. Twitter specific or network specific?

14. Distribution on new
followers acquisition.
Real data compared with
model data.
n. of new followers
XF5 observed data
Preferential attachment model
Barabasi scale-free model
n. of users

15. what’s next?
- network stability
- empirical baseline
- crisis events analysis

16. thank you
http://larica.uniurb.it/sigsna
luca.rossi@uniurb.it
Twitter.com/LR