社会回音室:网络传播中的信息趋同及其媒介逻辑——基于“今日头条”样本的计算传播学分析

Social Echo Chamber:Information Convergence and Its Media Logic in Internet Communication:Computational Communication Analysis Based on Toutiao Samples

在网络信息和内容生产中,"社会回音室"及其媒介信息内容趋同,虽得到一定关注,但其媒介逻辑和过程,仍有待具体而深入的实践考察。针对网络信息趋同化与传播热度之间的确定性关联机制,集中分析网络信息如何随着媒介化传导程度的变化展现出对应的同化、封闭。对重要网络媒体之一"今日头条"样本的分析显示:(1)热度层级越高的帖子组,与周期内全体信息的平均相似度越高,趋向于头部最热层的相似度越高,层级内部的相互趋同性越高;(2)每层与全局内容的趋同性、与头部信息的趋同性、层内趋同性这三者高度相关和一致,共同构成信息过程中分化而统一的不同面向;(3)社会信息的趋同性随热度的变化,不是断裂或跳跃、定性的区分,而是连续、平滑的渐变;(4)选取的24种周期长度内,上述现象及其随热度演化的曲线函数变化差异很小,对于舆论周期的长短并不敏感;(5)不同热度的信息其趋同程度,与信息传导热度之间具有高度的正相关和有规律的共变,二次函数可做出R方高达90%以上的高度拟合。网络媒介和公共领域研究要加强重视从局部"回音室"朝向"社会回音室"的聚焦及其社会文化挖掘,充分审视从网络局部"巴尔干化"到网络整体"巴尔干化"的信息异化风险。

Although the phenomenon of online content assimilation and‘social echo chamber’has received certain attention,its media logic and process still need to be investigated in concrete and in-depth practice.This article focuses on the deterministic association mechanism between network information assimilation and the clout,and analyzes how the information shows the corresponding enhancement of convergence as it goes viral.Based on large-scale network media Toutiao,the results show that:1)In the certain cycles,the higher clout,the stronger similarity of the post group towards all posts and towards the top level posts as well as within its group;2)The intra-layer convergence,the overall convergence,and the top convergence are highly related and consistent,and constitute diverse aspects of differentiation and unity in the information process;3)The convergence of social information with changes of the clout evolves without a sudden break,but with a continuous,smooth gradation;4)Within the selected 24 cycles,the variation of the above phenomena and its curve functions with the evolution of clout is very small and not sensitive to the length of cycles;5)There is a positive correlation and regular covariation between the degree of convergence of information and the degree of mediated transmission with R2 reaching 90%and more.It alerts that more attention should be paid from the local"echo chamber"to the"social echo chamber"and its social-cultural implication.The risk of information alienation from the local"balkanization"to the overall"balkanization"of the network should be fully examined.