Decomposing the structure of online protests against U.S. beef import in South Korean blogosphere

Woo Young CHANGWoo Young CHANGCatholic University of Daegu, Korea (South)Catholic University of Daegu, Korea (South)

Han Woo PARKHan Woo PARKYeungNam University, Korea (South)YeungNam University, Korea (South)

WCU Webometrics InstituteWCU Webometrics Institutehanpark@ynu.ac.krhanpark@ynu.ac.kr

http://www.hanpark.net

Presented to the 4S (Society of Social Study of Presented to the 4S (Society of Social Study of Science) Conference, Tokyo, Japan, August 2010Science) Conference, Tokyo, Japan, August 2010

  

South Koreans fearing 'mad cow disease' fight US beef imports in 2008

Socio-cultural background to the case under study

Early motivation: Food RiskEarly motivation: Food Risk

- Korean government’s action to - Korean government’s action to import a beef of cattle older import a beef of cattle older than 30 months, which is known than 30 months, which is known to have considerable potential to have considerable potential of ‘of ‘mad cow diseasemad cow disease’ from the ’ from the USUS

* * Food risk is not important any more…Food risk is not important any more…

A public expression against neo-A public expression against neo-liberal policies of new President liberal policies of new President MB Lee (e.g., privatizing nat’l MB Lee (e.g., privatizing nat’l health care system)health care system)

Unnecessary or excessive use of Unnecessary or excessive use of police force, including the police force, including the misuse of police and security misuse of police and security equipment during the protestsequipment during the protests

Reactions from government and conservative mass media Portals (e.g. Daum) Should Bear

Responsibility for Cyber Violence as well as Offline Rallies?

In particular, some Internet journalist had led the candlelight vigils in cyberspace since the mad cow fears began spreading by their posting on its main news corner articles about the dangers of U.S. beef and writings and setting this issue as the main theme on its Agora web board for days on end.

Networking, Blogging and citizenship Free, easy online networking (e.g.

blogging) allows Internet-connected citizens to become journalists Breaks the monopoly of the capital-intensive

media? OhMyNews!! Allows the creation of Habermas’s free

discussion Public Sphere? C. Sunstein’s CyberBalkanization?

Similar to ‘Slash dot effect’ in the US, ‘Daum-Agora’(DA) effect arises

Research questions

What is the nature of online What is the nature of online network among citizens network among citizens about US beef issue? about US beef issue?

How and to what extent is How and to what extent is the structure of citizen’s the structure of citizen’s online participation online participation altered during a protest altered during a protest against US beef imports?against US beef imports?

Research MethodsRQs are examined based on various RQs are examined based on various

kinds of data to discover the kinds of data to discover the hidden political blogosphere to hidden political blogosphere to enhance and/or lessen citizen enhance and/or lessen citizen engagement with the issueengagement with the issue

- Content analysis Content analysis of blog postings based of blog postings based on bloggers’ political positions on the on bloggers’ political positions on the US beef import and other MB Lee’s US beef import and other MB Lee’s policiespolicies

- Network analysis Network analysis among citizen among citizen bloggers in terms of trackbackbloggers in terms of trackback

- Long-tail analysis Long-tail analysis using replies, using replies, trackbacks, and viewstrackbacks, and views to blog postingsto blog postings

Selection of research site

The frequently-read entries(FRE) written by Daum Agora blog-reporters during May and June of 2008

- collected with search queries: mad cow disease, US beef, candle light protest

- entries more than 10,000 views

External entries trackbacked to FRE

FRETrackbacked

blogs

No. of entrie

s

No. of blogge

rs

No. of entrie

s

No. of trackback

ers

May 111 75 387 237

June 152 83 409 240

Profile of FRE bloggers

MaleMale bloggers over females bloggers over femalesMostly from Mostly from SeoulSeoul area where area where

cultural elites reside in cultural elites reside in

Interesting findingInteresting finding- Professional journalists from minor Professional journalists from minor

presspress- Some active group-blogsSome active group-blogs- Full-time/independent bloggersFull-time/independent bloggers- Some oversea Korean bloggersSome oversea Korean bloggers

FRE analysis shows that polarization about US beef import become weaker with a significant increase in neutral position (10 -> 55, p=0.000)

N=152N=152JuneJune

N=111N=111MayMay

Neutral

Neutral36.18%

Other issues related to Lee’s neo-Other issues related to Lee’s neo-liberal policy programs liberal policy programs were not were not salient salient in both FRE and the in both FRE and the trackbacked in terms of their trackbacked in terms of their occurrence frequencies (FRE: 25 occurrence frequencies (FRE: 25 entries, Trackbacked 22 during May entries, Trackbacked 22 during May and June)and June)

However, the excessive use of However, the excessive use of police police force force emerged as a emerged as a new agenda new agenda among trackbackers during June: among trackbackers during June: ProGov (20.5%), Neutral(31.1%), ProGov (20.5%), Neutral(31.1%), AntiGov (48.4%)AntiGov (48.4%)

28 bloggers are consistent for 2 28 bloggers are consistent for 2 months, that is, ‘months, that is, ‘CoreCore’ group ’ group produced 19 and 14 entriesproduced 19 and 14 entries

Central bloggers Central bloggers are related to media are related to media

industryindustryNetwork becomes Network becomes sparser sparser over timeover timeThe majority of pro-import bloggers are The majority of pro-import bloggers are

isolatedisolated Betweenness of neutral bloggers is not Betweenness of neutral bloggers is not

highhigh

Network analysis among FRE bloggers

Central bloggers in indegree, May

BloggersIndegree centralities

Gender Residence OccupationTrackbackers

Trackbacks

chchtan 6 9 M Seoul 뉴시스 기자

mongu 4 4 M Gyeongsang 전문블로거

idomin 4 4 Mixed Gyeongsang 경남도민일보

hands 4 4 F Seoul 미디어스 기자jkspace 3 4 M Seoul 건축가

pdjournal 3 3 Mixed Seoul PD 저널parismada

me 3 3 F Overseas 주부

kimjongbae 3 5 M Seoul 시사평론가 ( 김종

배 )

ccdm1984 3 3 Mixed Seoul 민주언론시민연합

radiostar11 3 3 M Seoul 웹디자인관련

회사원

Central bloggers in outdegree, May

Bloggers

Outdegree centralitiesGende

r Residence OccupationTrackbackers

Trackbacks

dongnae 15 25 F Unknown Unknown

yjua 7 8 F Seoul 메디컬투데이 기자wantkore

an 6 12 M Seoul 대학교 강사

neopet71 5 6 M Seoul 무역회사직원

totobox 4 4 F Gyeongsang 공부방 강사

daidalos 4 4 F Seoul 주부

Networks among FRE, May

N=75N=75MayMay

Central bloggers in indegree, June

BloggersIndegree centralities

Gender

Residence OccupationTrackbacke

rsTrackback

ssisain 5 5 Mixed Seoul 시사인 블로그

2kim 4 5 Mixed Gyeongsang

김주완 ( 남 ), 김주훤( 녀 ) 로서

경남도민일보의 팀블로거 팀블로그

운영자

mediaus 4 5 Mixed Seoul 미디어스 블로그

ctzxp 3 3 M Seoul 월간 [ 말 ] 박형준 기자

kimjongbae 3 9 M Seoul 시사평론가 ( 김종배 )

hangulo 2 5 M Seoul 전문블로거

photohistory 2 3 M Seoul 회사원

migojarad 2 3 M Gyeongsang 고등학생 ( 고 3)

peoplepower21 2 2 Mixed Seoul 참여연대 블로그

chchtan 2 3 M Seoul 뉴시스기자

medwon 2 3 M Seoul 의대생

showbiz 2 3 M Seoul 기업 대표

urijeri 2 2 M Seoul 교회목사

Central bloggers in Outdegree, June

BloggersOutdegree centralities

Gender

Residence OccupationTrackbacke

rsTrackback

s

luvyooz 21 35 M Seoul 모름

okhong 7 8 M Seoul 민주노동당 국회의원( 홍희덕 )

may 5 5 M Seoul 무직

2kim 4 4 Mixed Gyeongsang

김주완 ( 남 ), 김주훤( 녀 ) 로서

경남도민일보의 팀블로거 팀블로그

운영자 newzealandst

ory 3 3 M Overseas 대학생

sisain 2 4 Mixed Seoul 시사인 블로그ddokbaro 2 2 M Unknown 모름

hangulo 2 3 M Seoul 전문블로거 , 뉴스보이기자 ( 객원 )

sdlp 2 2 Mixed Seoul민주노동당 서울지역

대학생당원들 팀블로그블로그

Networks among FRE, June

N=83N=83JuneJune

Profile of Trackbackers

Items May JuneConsistent group

No. of trackbacker

s237 240 85

Also included in

the FRE

25(10.55%)

25(10.42%)

22(25.88%)

Just like Wikipedians, FRE bloggers Just like Wikipedians, FRE bloggers contributecontribute to the continuing to the continuing extension and improvement of extension and improvement of American beef-related online American beef-related online resource, resource, observeobserve this common this common property with some engagement, and property with some engagement, and are are rewardedrewarded from this ongoing from this ongoing process as their level of process as their level of involvementinvolvement changes overtimechanges overtime

Bruns emphasizes, “Bruns emphasizes, “That’s why I That’s why I suggest that they are neither simply suggest that they are neither simply users nor producers (and they’re users nor producers (and they’re certainly not consumers): they’re certainly not consumers): they’re produsers insteadprodusers instead””

Network from trackbackers to core FRE group, May

Network from trackbackers to core FRE group, June

Structural change over time:Disappearing long-tail participation

An over-time result shows that the agenda-setting function of head bloggers (A-list), whose entries were included more than two times in the FRE, become stronger than that of tail bloggers in terms of writings, views, replies, and trackbacks

Items 　

May

(115 entries by 75

bloggers)

June

(152 entries by 83 bloggers)

>= 2

entries

1

entries1-2

>= 2

entries1 entries 1 – 2

No. of

blogger

s

16

(21.3%)

59

(78.6%)

57.3%

　

21

(25.3%)

62

(74.7%)49.4%

No. of

entries

56(48.7

%)

59(51.3

%)2.6%

90

(59.2%)

62

(40.8%)-18.4%

Views1,960,0

69

2,686,9

44

726,87

5

5,141,6

74

2,336,21

0

-

2,805,46

4

Replies 6,612 10,345 3,733 14,254 10,404 -3,850

Trackba

cks347 476 129 443 341 -102

What makes the structure of comm. network change over time?

Aggressive state Aggressive state interventionintervention for for cyberspace cyberspace

DistortedDistorted reporting of conservative reporting of conservative media on mass candlelight media on mass candlelight protests protests

Gradual Gradual decreasedecrease of rally of rally participantsparticipants

Becomes Becomes peripheralperipheral agenda among agenda among citizenscitizens

The results indicate that there is The results indicate that there is indeed indeed a change a change in terms of in terms of online discourse and network online discourse and network structure over this short span structure over this short span of timeof time

Balkanization and Mobilization Balkanization and Mobilization theories need to be theories need to be modified modified and discussed and discussed in terms of new in terms of new ‘produsage’, ‘crowd wisdom’, ‘produsage’, ‘crowd wisdom’, and ‘long-tail’ conceptsand ‘long-tail’ concepts