Pure Verbinding: municipal insights into toxicity and connectivity

The municipalities of Genk, As, Houthalen-Helchteren, and Zutendaal were looking for a monitoring tool that can offer insights into online social dynamics.

Challenge

Create insights into localized online toxicity and connectivity dynamics. Can we spot connecting themes, meaning topics that are ‘bigger’ than the polarizing themes?

Solution

We set up trend detection algorithms based on various topics, events, new phenomena, and monitor a potential increase in extreme and toxic language. We identify possibly worrying dynamics, such as calls for violence and stigmatization.

For more detailed insights we chart the most frequently occurring topics per municipality and create an overview of the four municipalities together. A map displays whether topics can be related to specific neighborhoods. We link open data per municipality to the highest trending topics and the related activities initiated by the municipalities as well.

Result

Our monitoring tool is currently in development.

.css-l0mio9{display:none;visibility:hidden;}