Abstract
NATO is an essential source of security for Eastern Europe, a region at the confluence of many propaganda efforts from powerful geopolitical actors. What people in this region discuss about NATO on social media is interesting from this point of view alone, since it can function as an indicator of the resilience of their trust in democratic principles and institutions. But in 2020 an unprecedented pandemic started, with NATO as an institutional actor involved in the crisis reaction. Then, in late 2021 and early 2022, NATO came to the forefront even more, due to the upheaval generated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How did online communicators and communication flows about NATO evolve and change in a country like Romania, close to the Ukraine conflict and to the perpetual propaganda wars in the region? Using visual network analysis on Big Data, I employ both visualizations and network metrics to understand the evolution of actors and communities around a topic of utmost importance, in the context of the recent evolutions regarding regional and global security.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Democratic Disorder: Disinformation, the Media and Crisis in a Time of Change
KEYWORDS
Visual Network Analysis, Social Media, Big Data, Disinformation, NATO
