Diffusion and influence of media reports on Twitter

Determine how media reports disseminated via Twitter diffuse through the platform and achieve decisive influence, specifying the mechanisms and pathways that lead to impactful reach and authority.

Background

The paper reviews how Twitter functions as a key medium for crisis-related communication, noting extensive research on eyewitness reporting, relief activities, and the evolving role of Twitter in mainstream media coverage. Prior studies have examined credibility and intermedia agenda setting, but gaps remain in understanding diffusion dynamics.

Within this context, the authors explicitly state that despite existing work, it remains unclear how media reports travel across Twitter and obtain decisive influence, highlighting a core unresolved issue in understanding media dynamics on social platforms during crises.

References

Still, it is unclear how media reports diffuse through Twitter and gain decisive influence.

— Sense-Giving Strategies of Media Organisations in Social Media Disaster Communication: Findings from Hurricane Harvey (2004.08567 - Marx et al., 2020) in Section 2, Literature Review – Crisis Communication on Twitter