Rumor analysis &visualization system

Rumor messages do not spread in isolation on social media but are followed by the cascades of other messages, namely, counter-rumors and uncertainty-expressing messages. To provide a holistic understanding of how messages spread in wake of a rumor outbreak, the aim of this paper is to propose a framework of an integrated Rumor Analysis and Visualization System. The framework identifies four major modules in terms of the core functionalities of the system: 1) Data Crawling; 2) Data Pre-processing; 3) Data Analysis; and 4) Visualization. The functionalities of these four modules help examine the three types of messages—rumor, counter-rumor, and uncertainty-expressing messages—in the wake of a rumor outbreak. Since visualization enables the dynamics of information contagion to be more effectively presented to the user than text-based formats, the integrated system could be used as a training and deployment toolkit to understand the big picture when authorities need to take decisions and actions to deal with rumors.