SocialSens 2021

June 7, 2021

Introduction

Scope: The 6th installation of the workshop focuses on an important piece of the above puzzle; the role of information operations (such as the promotion of well-crafted narratives) as instruments to influence populations and as windows into underlying population beliefs. The narrative is a construct that embodies both linguistic and social aspects. It is one of the units of communication that intertwine subject descriptions with the author’s point of view. Narratives used in information operations therefore potentially shed light simultaneously on both the source agenda and the different attitudes towards it. How can an information operation be described and captured with computational techniques? How are information operations on social media different from traditional influence attempts using other media? How can one separate different narratives (or spins) on the same topic? How can one infer social attitudes from response to different operations? Can one predict how a narrative might propagate on the medium? How are narratives used as means of influence? Can one determine if a certain narrative is organic or part of an influence/persuasion effort? What is an effective counter-narrative? How does finite human attention and cognitive capacity impact narrative propagation in the presence of accidental or intentional concurrent distractions? What other degrees of freedom constitute information operation (e.g., account censorship/suspension) and how to quantify/predict their social effects? Ultimately, can one predict the evolution of narratives and the impact of various operations/interventions on social media? Historically, the intent of the social sensing workshop has been to combine scientists from computing and social domains around social media related topics. With information operations (for purposes of measurement and/or influence) as the topic in 2021, we invite papers and vision abstracts that approach it from different perspectives, from physical signal processing to social science. The hope is that such a multidisciplinary intellectual exchange generates insights that draw on the best of multiple worlds: analysis of physical signals (that propagate on physical channels, such as acoustic and vibration signals), analysis of information signals (that propagate on social channels), and analysis of social systems. 

Submission Types and Instructions

The 6th international workshop on social sensing (special edition on information operations on social media) solicits contributions from academia, industry, and government on recent advances in both theoretical and experimental research in the above areas. We invite technical papers and position abstracts describing novel ideas, exciting results, and/or real-world experiences. Two types of submissions are solicited:

• 1. Full papers: Maximum length of 6 pages, including title, author list, abstract, all figures, tables, and references. At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the workshop and present the paper. Accepted papers will be broken into thematic sessions and presented in a panel discussion format.
• 2. Vision abstracts: This is a 2-page extended abstract that offers a future vision for a research direction the field of social sensing. The abstract should include title, author list, description (the vision statement), and references. A graphical illustration is highly desired (included in the 2-page limit). At least one author of each accepted abstract must register for the workshop and participate in a “Future Visions” session. The session will include short position talks by authors of accepted abstracts, followed by discussion.

Style Templates and Submission Portal

All submissions should be in English. They should be prepared as ICWSM proceeding format. All paper/abstract submission will be electronic, in PDF format. Failure to register for the workshop may disqualify the paper/abstract from inclusion in the proceedings.

To submit your paper, click here