User Archetypes and Information Dynamics on Telegram: COVID-19 and Climate Change Discourse in Singapore
Val Alvern Cueco Ligo, Lam Yin Cheung, Roy Ka-Wei Lee, Koustuv Saha, Edson C. Tandoc, Navin Kumar
TL;DR
Using k-means clustering, a model is developed to classify users into distinct user archetypes, including Strategic Disruptor, Empirical Enthusiast, Inquisitive Moderate, and Critical Examiner, each contributing uniquely to the discourse.
Abstract
Social media platforms, particularly Telegram, play a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions and opinions on global and national issues. Unlike traditional news media, Telegram allows for the proliferation of user-generated content with minimal oversight, making it a significant venue for the spread of controversial and misinformative content. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Telegram's popularity surged in Singapore, a country with one of the highest rates of social media use globally. We leverage Singapore-based Telegram data to analyze information flows within groups focused on COVID-19 and climate change. Using k-means clustering, we identified distinct user archetypes, including Strategic Disruptor, Empirical Enthusiast, Inquisitive Moderate, and Critical Examiner, each contributing uniquely to the discourse. We developed a model to classify users into these clusters (Precision: Climate change: 0.99; COVID-19: 0.95).