The 12th International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications, Menton (French Riviera), 28-30 November 2023

Extended abstract 1 (poster): Tell Me Who You Are and I Will Predict Your Vulnerability to Political Persuasion Techniques w. Lucio La Cava and Alessia Antelmi
Given the evolving role of social media in political communication and the strategic use of these platforms by politicians to shape public opinion, research has commonly focused on investigating computational propaganda as a means for automated information diffusion. Focusing on a less explored yet promising line, we aim to assess political persuasion in digital contexts by introducing a computational framework that combines Natural Language Processing and Network Science methods to investigate the linkage between persuasion techniques on social media and personality traits of online political audiences. Our final goal is to enhance public awareness of political tactics and encourage critical thinking in response to the online spread of political information.

Extended abstract 2 (lighting talk, awarded as Best Lightning Talk): Finding Hidden Swingers in the 2022 Italian Elections Twitter Discourse w. Lucio La Cava and Alessia Antelmi
The volume of the Italian online political discourse on social media has recently increased, but the coverage level does not compare with other Countries such as the US. Nonetheless, researchers focused on studying polarization and homophily concerning political debates or investigating the role of populism in online engagement. In this research landscape, the analysis of political preference shifts through social media remains to be explored. We aim to bridge this gap by examining the Twitter discourse during the 2022 Italian general elections, with a specific emphasis on political “swingers”. In particular, our findings indicate a stable political discourse in Italy, yet they also uncover a growing presence of political swingers willing to shift their support to significantly different factions.