Yaks versus Tweets: Sentiment discrepancy during a social crisis

Abstract

People use social networks to get current information, express their emotions and ideas, and connect with others. During a social crisis, there is a heightened value in using a social network to get information. Unfortunately, using a social network during a social crisis also provides fertile grounds for uncertainties and rapid dissemination of misinformation. Currently, there are multiple types of social networks including traditional and anonymous social networks. This research considers the differences between these two types of social networks. During the ‘Concerned Student 1950’, a student activist group at the University of Missouri, crisis at the University of Missouri, we captured users’ messages on two distinct anonymous and traditional social networks. Through sentiment analysis of datasets from Twitter and Yik Yak, we find that people express less total sentiment and more extremity on anonymous social networks. Results show extremity and length positively influence engagement, but total sentiment negatively influence engagement. These findings provide guidance for developers, law enforcement, and social network users.