How is what we consume on the Internet changing over time? Also, how is our consumption on online content changing how we behave in broader society? How do content recommendation algorithms affect viewers and their understanding of the world?
These are just some of the key questions confronting the growing field of social computing.
Recently, interdisciplinary researchers in computer science and linguistics at UIowa shared important social computing research at the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM). Three UI projects were among 14 papers accepted at the conference out of 289 international submissions — one of the three received the award of “Best Paper.”
The team’s projects included:
- Measuring the Semantic Structure and Evolution of Conspiracy Theories
Manisha Keim, Sarmad Chandio, Osama Khalid, and Rishab Nithyanand - Examining the Role of YouTube Production and Consumption Dynamics on the Formation of Extreme Ideologies
Sarmad Chandio and Rishab Nithyanand - Flattening Fantasies: Analyzing Stereotypes in Pornographic Discourse
(Awarded “Best Paper” at this year’s conference.)
Sarmad Chandio, Osama Khalid, Sharaf Zia, and Ethan Kutlu [paper] [arXiv] [video]
Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue at ICWSM
“ICWSM brings together researchers from computer science, social science, and communication studies, which creates discussions that are both technically rigorous and socially grounded,” says Manisha Keim, a graduate student in UIowa’s computer science program, who also presented a paper at the conference.
Keim and her co-authors examined the semantic structure of online conspiracy theories and how they evolve.
“Broadly, I study how language shifts over time and what those shifts reveal about social, political, and cultural processes. My work sits at the intersection of computational social science and natural language processing, where I use computational methods to study online discourse and narrative changes.
I am particularly interested in how digital platforms shape communication and how linguistic patterns can help us understand larger societal dynamics.”
Manisha Keim
“While we focus on conspiracy theories, the methodology extends beyond this domain,” Keim explains. “More broadly, our work highlights that understanding online discourse requires monitoring meaning space, not just vocabulary. Because the approach tracks changes in meaning rather than only keywords, it can be applied to many forms of discourse, including political communication, misinformation, online communities, social movements, and public opinion.”
What Drives the Enthusiasm Behind Social Computing?
“I am curious about the interplay of the Internet and social lives of humans. I’m researching the recommendation systems of different social media platforms and how recommended social media consumption shapes our ideologies and lifestyles.”
Sarmad Chandio
Among the team members, PhD student Sarmad Chandio co-authored all three papers, including the one winning “best paper” award. That project examined how online pornography uses stereotypes and required both quantitative and qualitative analysis of 5.4 million videos. It’s an important area of study, since experts estimate that about 4% to 12% of all websites are dedicated to adult content.
AI did not play a large role in completing the team’s research: “We did the data collection using our own web scrapers and collectively figured out the data patterns and attributes. There weren't any surveys involved. The research is purely from the available data online; nothing personal was collected.”
Such research can help sociologists, psychologists, and policymakers understand cultural attitudes and shifts, and how they influence, or are influenced by, online content over time.
“What I particularly appreciate about the ICWSM conference is that it is interdisciplinary and presenters belong to a range of fields, such as, psychology, linguistics, HCI, journalism, and media studies. It’s an atmosphere conducive to holistic conversations,” says Chandio.
UIowa's CP3 at the Forefront of Social Computing
As social networks and online platforms increasingly dominate how society interacts and receives information, research in social computing will continue to be relevant and in demand.
Both Sarmad Chandio and Manisha Keim work at the University of Iowa’s Center for Publics, Platforms, and Personalization (CP3), along with UI Computer Science Professor Rishab Nithyanand.
CP3 is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to studying the relationship between personalization algorithms and society. Their research focuses on the feedback loop between social media users and platform algorithms. CP3’s team of research affiliates includes faculty and graduate students from multiple universities and disciplines, including computer science.