Tracing Information Flows in the Hybrid Media System: The Agenda-Setting Role of Dark Platforms Surrounding the Ukraine Invasion Discourse

Authors

  • Mónika Simon Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam
  • Savvas Zannettou Technology, Policy, and Management (TPM) faculty at, TU Delft
  • Kasper Welbers Department of Communication Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Anne C. Kroon Assistant Professor of communication at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam
  • Damian Trilling Professor of Journalism Studies and Holder of the Chair for Journalism Studies at the Department of Journalism Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Keywords:

discursive information flows, agenda setting, dark platforms, topic modeling

Abstract

The influence of dark platforms on public debate remains understudied. Using a unique multiplatform corpus of news articles, posts from four news-related subreddits, tweets from politicians, and posts from 4chan/pol (N = 1,545,813), we leveraged neural topic modeling and advanced overtime analyses to study discursive information flows dynamically. Focusing on the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our results showed limited discursive information flows from the dark platform agenda to other agendas. However, the most influential topics on the dark platform agenda were significantly more toxic than those on other agendas. Our approach effectively uncovers the nuanced dynamics of discursive information flows across various platforms, deepening our understanding of the complex interplay between different agendas in shaping public debate in the contemporary media system.

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Published

2025-02-24

Issue

Vol. 19 (2025)

Section

Articles

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