Recurrent Patterns of User Behavior in Different Electoral Campaigns: A Twitter Analysis of the Spanish General Elections of 2015 and 2016

<div>General statistical properties of the retweet and mention networks aggregated for the whole period of study for both electoral campaigns. <svg height="13.9678pt" id="M85" style="vertical-align:-4.67947pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -9.28833 33.4296 13.9678" width="33.4296pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M480 416C480 431 465 448 438 448C388 448 312 383 252 330C217 299 188 273 155 237H153L257 680C262 700 263 712 253 712C240 712 183 684 97 674L92 648L126 647C166 646 172 645 163 606L23 -6L29 -12C51 -5 77 2 107 8C115 62 130 128 142 180C153 193 179 220 204 241C231 170 259 106 288 54C317 0 336 -12 358 -12C381 -12 423 2 477 80L460 100C434 74 408 54 398 54C385 54 374 65 351 107C326 154 282 241 263 299C296 332 351 377 403 377C424 377 436 372 445 368C449 366 456 368 462 375C472 386 480 402 480 416Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,6.474,3.132)"><path d="M250 606C250 634 233 656 203 656C168 656 146 618 146 593C146 564 169 545 192 545C227 545 250 573 250 606ZM227 95L212 119C187 98 152 71 135 71C129 71 128 78 134 102L207 373C219 418 217 451 194 451C165 451 92 411 30 351L44 326C77 353 106 371 114 371C124 371 121 357 117 341L55 97C32 5 46 -12 70 -12C108 -12 191 51 227 95Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,9.022,3.132)"><path d="M504 89L488 119C453 85 428 69 416 69C408 69 405 75 412 102L462 304C492 438 460 451 436 451S388 441 356 423C311 397 229 336 170 256H168L189 340C208 418 200 451 177 451C144 451 82 413 24 352L40 322C65 345 98 369 108 369C114 369 119 363 112 335L28 -3L36 -12C54 -3 83 4 112 10C125 73 138 122 153 174C205 258 328 382 376 382C395 382 399 369 384 305L330 93C312 25 323 -12 351 -12C378 -12 439 21 504 89Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,13.682,3.132)"><path d="M309 -142C211 -61 151 99 151 271S210 601 309 683L288 710C141 611 75 451 75 272V271C75 90 141 -72 288 -169L309 -142Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,16.939,3.132)"><path d="M452 282C452 397 389 451 302 451C268 451 227 441 188 422C95 377 24 281 24 154C24 65 70 -12 173 -12C240 -12 297 16 342 52C418 113 452 201 452 282ZM359 282C359 163 308 66 247 39C237 35 225 32 212 32C151 32 114 79 114 157C114 301 180 380 223 398C240 405 250 408 265 408C315 408 359 369 359 282Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,21.271,3.132)"><path d="M528 97L513 125C484 95 440 68 431 68C425 68 421 76 427 107C449 227 476 342 505 451H495L418 424L385 278C338 191 220 62 157 62C145 62 133 76 145 130L200 368C215 434 210 451 183 451C157 451 92 418 24 352L37 324C78 356 106 377 115 377C123 377 122 364 116 340L64 115C58 89 56 68 56 52C56 2 78 -12 103 -12C127 -12 159 -4 190 18C247 59 309 113 366 187H368L351 108C328 1 348 -12 368 -12C403 -12 472 33 528 97Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,26.294,3.132)"><path d="M329 433H203L239 587L230 596L147 534L123 433H57L30 395L34 388H115L61 129C37 16 59 -12 85 -12C147 -12 222 58 260 98L241 125C212 95 160 62 144 62C132 62 127 71 138 126L192 386L305 394L329 433Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,29.452,3.132)"><path d="M283 271C283 451 220 610 70 710L48 683C146 603 207 443 207 271S149 -59 48 -142L70 -169C220 -67 283 90 283 271Z"></path></g></svg> corresponds to in- (out-) degree and <svg height="10.6404pt" id="M86" style="vertical-align:-4.67949pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -5.96091 32.6205 10.6404" width="32.6205pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M478 372C478 418 458 448 431 448C409 448 389 431 389 410C389 404 391 400 394 395C398 388 406 371 406 348C406 253 308 122 251 51H249C254 122 249 257 231 336C212 421 189 448 159 448C126 448 75 412 23 327L48 306C83 354 103 371 115 371C125 371 134 360 144 334C185 224 192 64 183 -19C146 -100 116 -202 110 -244L125 -261C154 -259 208 -234 222 -220C222 -194 225 -84 235 -23C247 -3 273 36 308 79C379 165 478 288 478 372Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,5.668,3.132)"><path d="M250 606C250 634 233 656 203 656C168 656 146 618 146 593C146 564 169 545 192 545C227 545 250 573 250 606ZM227 95L212 119C187 98 152 71 135 71C129 71 128 78 134 102L207 373C219 418 217 451 194 451C165 451 92 411 30 351L44 326C77 353 106 371 114 371C124 371 121 357 117 341L55 97C32 5 46 -12 70 -12C108 -12 191 51 227 95Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,8.216,3.132)"><path d="M504 89L488 119C453 85 428 69 416 69C408 69 405 75 412 102L462 304C492 438 460 451 436 451S388 441 356 423C311 397 229 336 170 256H168L189 340C208 418 200 451 177 451C144 451 82 413 24 352L40 322C65 345 98 369 108 369C114 369 119 363 112 335L28 -3L36 -12C54 -3 83 4 112 10C125 73 138 122 153 174C205 258 328 382 376 382C395 382 399 369 384 305L330 93C312 25 323 -12 351 -12C378 -12 439 21 504 89Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,12.876,3.132)"><path d="M309 -142C211 -61 151 99 151 271S210 601 309 683L288 710C141 611 75 451 75 272V271C75 90 141 -72 288 -169L309 -142Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,16.133,3.132)"><path d="M452 282C452 397 389 451 302 451C268 451 227 441 188 422C95 377 24 281 24 154C24 65 70 -12 173 -12C240 -12 297 16 342 52C418 113 452 201 452 282ZM359 282C359 163 308 66 247 39C237 35 225 32 212 32C151 32 114 79 114 157C114 301 180 380 223 398C240 405 250 408 265 408C315 408 359 369 359 282Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,20.465,3.132)"><path d="M528 97L513 125C484 95 440 68 431 68C425 68 421 76 427 107C449 227 476 342 505 451H495L418 424L385 278C338 191 220 62 157 62C145 62 133 76 145 130L200 368C215 434 210 451 183 451C157 451 92 418 24 352L37 324C78 356 106 377 115 377C123 377 122 364 116 340L64 115C58 89 56 68 56 52C56 2 78 -12 103 -12C127 -12 159 -4 190 18C247 59 309 113 366 187H368L351 108C328 1 348 -12 368 -12C403 -12 472 33 528 97Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,25.488,3.132)"><path d="M329 433H203L239 587L230 596L147 534L123 433H57L30 395L34 388H115L61 129C37 16 59 -12 85 -12C147 -12 222 58 260 98L241 125C212 95 160 62 144 62C132 62 127 71 138 126L192 386L305 394L329 433Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,28.646,3.132)"><path d="M283 271C283 451 220 610 70 710L48 683C146 603 207 443 207 271S149 -59 48 -142L70 -169C220 -67 283 90 283 271Z"></path></g></svg> to the exponent of the correspondent degree distribution. The confidence intervals in the power law exponents calculations correspond to <span class="nowrap"><svg height="8.55521pt" id="M87" style="vertical-align:-0.2063904pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 13.7356 8.55521" width="13.7356pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M412 140C382 77 369 73 315 73H129L270 222C362 320 402 379 402 466C402 571 322 635 234 635C177 635 130 609 99 576L42 495L64 475C90 514 133 568 201 568C274 568 318 519 318 435C318 349 255 267 193 193C144 135 87 78 32 23V0H405C417 45 427 89 440 131L412 140Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.24,0)"><path d="M548 455L523 469C505 448 490 439 461 439C416 439 374 447 316 447C144 447 23 310 23 161C23 47 89 -12 179 -12C312 -12 429 106 429 244C429 303 419 344 368 386L371 388C404 383 440 378 474 378C507 378 530 411 548 455ZM350 274C350 191 308 25 198 25C144 25 108 75 108 157C108 264 170 395 276 395C296 395 320 384 333 360C347 334 350 316 350 274Z"></path></g></svg>.</span></div>

Complexity

tab3

Table 3

Table 3: Recurrent Patterns of User Behavior in Different Electoral Campaigns: A Twitter Analysis of the Spanish General Elections of 2015 and 2016 