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Exploring the Landscape of Drug Communities on Reddit: A Network Study
Conference proceeding   Open access

Exploring the Landscape of Drug Communities on Reddit: A Network Study

Layla Bouzoubaa, Jordyn Young and Rezvaneh Rezapour
Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, pp 558-565
06 Nov 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3625007.3629125
url
https://doi.org/10.1145/3625007.3629125View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze),  Open

Abstract

Applied computing Human-centered computing Human-centered computing -- Collaborative and social computing
In a world where the use of social media is almost universal, understanding its influence on drug information consumption has become a crucial topic of research. This study delves into the networks of drug-centric subreddits to gain insights into community structures and the nature of user interactions within Reddit. After conducting a thematic analysis of 131 drug-related subreddits, we selected four dominant ones for a comprehensive network analysis, examining the broader interactions of their active users. Our results show that drug-related subreddits are highly connected to each other, resembling small-world networks, and tangential subreddits, like r/AskReddit and r/gaming, are influential in connecting different parts of networks. While each community within the sub-networks has its unique focus, there is a clear convergence around shared themes and interests, notably harm reduction and mutual support. Our research not only underscores the pivotal role of online platforms like Reddit in bridging the active members of drug-related subreddits to a broader spectrum of content but also highlights the underlying commonalities that weave these communities together, emphasizing their mutual interests and shared values.

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4 citations in Scopus

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