Social media platforms heavily changed how users consume and digest information and, thus, how the popularity of topics evolves. In this paper, we explore the interplay between the virality of controversial topics and how they may trigger heated discussions and eventually increase users' polarization. We perform a quantitative analysis on Facebook by collecting $\sim57M$ posts from $\sim2M$ pages and groups between 2018 and 2022, focusing on engaging topics involving scandals, tragedies, and social and political issues. Using logistic functions, we quantitatively assess the evolution of these topics finding similar patterns in their engagement dynamics. Finally, we show that initial burstiness may predict the rise of users' future adverse reactions regardless of the discussed topic.
翻译:社交媒体平台极大地改变了用户消费和消化信息的方式,从而改变了话题的普及程度。在本文中,我们探讨了争议话题的病毒性与如何引发激烈讨论并最终增加用户的两极分化之间的相互作用。我们在Facebook上进行了定量分析,从2018至2022年的$sim57M$的网页和团体收集了$\sim2M$,重点是涉及丑闻、悲剧以及社会和政治问题的议题。我们利用后勤功能,量化评估了这些议题的演变过程,发现其参与动态模式相似。最后,我们表明最初的突发性可能会预测用户未来负面反应的上升,而不管讨论的主题是什么。