Rumor Propagation Patterns on Social Media: Evidence from Sina Weibo

Abstract

In the context of social media, the phenomenon of rumoring plays an increasingly significant role that profoundly affects various aspects of public psychology and social order. However, in the Chinese context, the microstructure of rumor propagation has yet to be explored, and few distinguishing propagation patterns have been proposed. This study focuses on the propagation patterns of rumors on social media and characterizes and analyzes them along three dimensions: propagation paths, propagation velocity, and propagation scope. Through principal component analysis and cluster analysis, we successfully identified three differentiated rumor propagation modes: the extensively connected propagation mode, the deep propagation mode, and the slow diffusion propagation mode. By meticulously distinguishing and analyzing these three propagation modes in social media, this study not only deepens our understanding of the mechanisms of rumor propagation but also provides practical value for the prevention and control of rumors. This study also contributes to crowd science by revealing collective behavioral patterns underlying rumor propagation.