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Detection of Sociolinguistic Features in Digital Social Networks for the Detection of Communities

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Abstract

The emergence of digital social networks has transformed society, social groups, and institutions in terms of the communication and expression of their opinions. Determining how language variations allow the detection of communities, together with the relevance of specific vocabulary (proposed by the National Council of Accreditation of Colombia (Consejo Nacional de Acreditación - CNA) to determine the quality evaluation parameters for universities in Colombia) in digital assemblages could lead to a better understanding of their dynamics and social foundations, thus resulting in better communication policies and intervention where necessary. The approach presented in this paper intends to determine what are the semantic spaces (sociolinguistic features) shared by social groups in digital social networks. It includes five layers based on Design Science Research, which are integrated with Natural Language Processing techniques (NLP), Computational Linguistics (CL), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The approach is validated through a case study wherein the semantic values of a series of “Twitter” institutional accounts belonging to Colombian Universities are analyzed in terms of the 12 quality factors established by CNA. In addition, the topics and the sociolect used by different actors in the university communities are also analyzed. The current approach allows determining the sociolinguistic features of social groups in digital social networks. Its application allows detecting the words or concepts to which each actor of a social group (university) gives more importance in terms of vocabulary.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Center for Excellence and Appropriation in Big Data and Data Analytics (CAOBA), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and the Ministry of Information Technologies and Telecommunications of the Republic of Colombia (MinTIC). The models and results presented in this challenge contributed to the building of the research capabilities of CAOBA. Also, the author Edwin Puertas gives thanks to the Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Engineering, Universidad Tecnologica de Bolivar, Cartagena, Colombia

    Edwin Puertas

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Engineering School, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No. 40-62, Bogota, Colombia

    Edwin Puertas, Luis Gabriel Moreno-Sandoval, Jorge Andres Alvarado-Valencia & Alexandra Pomares-Quimbaya

  3. Department of Communication and Language, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cartagena, Colombia

    Javier Redondo

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  1. Edwin Puertas
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  2. Luis Gabriel Moreno-Sandoval
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  4. Jorge Andres Alvarado-Valencia
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  5. Alexandra Pomares-Quimbaya
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Correspondence to Edwin Puertas.

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Puertas, E., Moreno-Sandoval, L.G., Redondo, J. et al. Detection of Sociolinguistic Features in Digital Social Networks for the Detection of Communities. Cogn Comput 13, 518–537 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12559-021-09818-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12559-021-09818-9

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