Characterizing popularity dynamics of hot topics using micro-blogs spatio-temporal data

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, a quantitative temporal and spatial analysis of the dynamics of hot topics popularity in Micro-blogging system was provided. Firstly, the popularity time series of 1167 hot topics were counted and calculated by Excel. Secondly, based on MATLAB software,the popularity time series were clustered into six clusters by K-spectral centroid (K-SC) clustering algorithm. Thirdly, we analyzed temporal patterns and spatial patterns of popularity dynamics of topics by statistical methods. The results show that temporal popularity of micro-blogging topics is rapidly dying, and the distribution of popularity is subject to the power law form. In addition, most of the Micro-blogging topics are global topic. Our results can provide a literature reference for studying the influence of online hot topics and the evolution of public opinion.

Keywords

• Hot topics
• Micro-blogs
• Popularity dynamics
• Power-law distribution
• Statistical mechanics
• Spatio-temporal analysis