Rumor Spreading and User Behavioral Characteristics Based on Social Network Analysis and Co-Word Network Analysis

With the development of the Internet and social media, many problems and challenges have arisen, among which the negative impact of rumors on society needs to be urgently addressed. Weibo, as a representative social media platform in China, has a large number of users. Therefore, studying rumor propagation and user behavior characteristics on the Weibo can help reduce the harm of rumors on society. In this paper, social network analysis is used to study the impact of different classes of users (bystanders, debunkers, and rumor mongers) on rumor propagation on Weibo. This result show that rumor debunkers play an important role in suppressing rumor propagation, and specific phrases such as “really” and “credibility” play a key role in suppressing rumor propagation. By analyzing the behavioral characteristics of different users involved in rumor spreading, this paper aims to improve the reference suggestions for related platforms, to reduce the harm caused by rumor spreading.