On macro and micro exploration of hashtag diffusion in Twitter

This exploratory work studies hashtag diffusion in Twitter. The analysis is conducted from two aspects. From the macro perspective, we study general properties of hashtag diffusion, and classify hashtags into three main classes based on their temporal dynamics referred as “single spike”, “multi-spikes”, and “fluctuation”, and find that each of these classes has some unique characteristics. From the micro perspective, we investigate individual diffusion.We adopt Edelman´s “topology of influence” theory to identify four type of users with different influence levels in diffusion based on their dynamic retweet behaviors. The results of our study are useful for gaining more insights of information diffusion in Twitter.