Tenzing Briggs

COSMOS, in this edition of Cosmographer Corner, highlights the work of former University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate and Cosmographer Dr. Esther Mead. Prof. Agarwal said, “I am extremely proud of Esther and her incredible career trajectory. I recall meeting the faculty search committee chair from the Computer Science department at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) at one of the meetings in Arkansas. They asked if I have a student who is about to graduate and would be interested in the position. I said – hire, Esther! And the rest is history. Just as glad I am that SAU hired Esther, I can see they feel the same.”

Dr. Mead—who is now an Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Data Science at Southern Arkansas University (SAU), Magnolia and Director of Business Graduate Programs at SAU—started her education at University of Conway, Arkansas in 1998, earning a bachelor’s in psychology, a bachelor’s of business administration in finance and marketing, and a master’s of business administration by 2005. With her MBA credential, Mead engaged in consulting and taught courses in Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior at San Diego University through 2011. She decided to broaden her education and expertise by joining UA Little Rock in 2013, pursuing first a master’s in business information systems and then a PhD in computer and information science under Prof. Agarwal’s supervision. Along that journey, Mead first joined COSMOS as a graduate research assistant in 2016. She received her PhD in computer & information sciences in 2020 and continued on as a postdoctoral researcher under Prof. Agarwal’s supervision at COSMOS through February 2021. We interviewed Prof. Mead on where her career is now and what her work at COSMOS entailed, with her responses below.

How did COSMOS fit into your university/secondary education career? How did you come across COSMOS, and what were you studying when you joined COSMOS?

I became aware of COSMOS while enrolled in the Social Computing graduate course taught by Prof. Nitin Agarwal at UA Little Rock in Spring 2019 while I was earning my PhD in Integrated Computing (Computer and Information Science) with a specialization in Information Quality. I was intrigued, and I applied for a Graduate Research Assistant position with the COSMOS center led by Prof Agarwal and was accepted. I loved the work at COSMOS, and after graduating with the doctoral degree under Prof. Agarwal’s supervision, he hired me as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in COSMOS in December of 2020. Under Prof. Agarwal mentorship at the COSMOS center, I was able to strengthen and fine-tune my data science knowledge and skills from doing extensive simultaneous hands-on research projects from scratch to publication, which led me through the doorway into the next level of my dream career, Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Computer Science at Southern Arkansas University!

How would you describe the “research pipeline” that you worked on while at COSMOS? In other words, what was the specific area in which you researched?

The specific areas of research that we worked on while I was at COSMOS included refugee migration modeling, examining misinformation, disinformation, toxicity, and domestic extremism on social media platforms.

Since leaving COSMOS, what roles/positions/jobs have you had? What is your current work?

I transitioned from COSMOS in 2021 to being an Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science at the College of Science & Engineering at SAU. Since Fall 2024, I am now the Director of the Business Graduate Programs and an Assistant Professor within the Management, Marketing, and Information Systems Department at Rankin College of Business at SAU.

If you had to describe the most momentous event at COSMOS, what would it be?

At the COSMOS research center, I helped Prof. Agarwal manage, train, guide, and advise students through the stages of data collection, data analysis, experimentation, and preparing and submitting papers to scientific forums. This experience, taken collectively, is something that I hold dear to my heart and use in my teaching and continued collaborative research. However, the most momentous event I experienced while at COSMOS would have to be writing my first grant proposal and having it be awarded thanks to Prof. Agarwal’s championship and expert guidance before, during, and after the project was over. The grant was a one-year award under the DART EPSCoR program to continue the research on refugee migration modeling.

What advice would you have for current Cosmographers?

The advice that I would give to current Cosmographers is to try to get involved on multiple projects rather than just one, if possible. This will broaden not only your perspective with regard to knowledge domains, but it will also allow you to increase the number of developers and researchers in your collaborative network, which you will be able to carry with you throughout your career and research journey.

In this month’s research spotlight, we highlight recent research from COSMOS that focuses on network analysis and community dynamics during polarized discourse. These studies used social media analysis to examine online interaction patterns. Specifically, the studies summarized are titled,

• “Analyzing Key Network Structures of 2022 Malaysian General Elections from the Lens of Instagram,” and
• “Examining the Impact of Toxicity on Community Structure in Social Networks,” which also won the Best Paper Award.

Each studied how social networks form and evolve during specific periods of heightened or polarized public discourse, such as elections and pandemic. However, they differed in the specific platforms studied (Instagram vs. Twitter/X). These studies were published and presented recently at the 14th International Conference on Social Media Technologies, Communication, and Informatics (SOTICS 2024), which took place from September 29 to October 3, 2024, in Venice, Italy.

“Analyzing Key Network Structures of 2022 Malaysian General Elections from the Lens of Instagram,” analyzed social media’s influence during the 2022 Malaysian general election, focusing specifically on Instagram. The study examined 53,116 Instagram posts using two main analytical approaches: Contextual Focal Structure Analysis (CFSA) and topic modeling. The researchers collected data using specific election-related hashtags. Their analysis revealed complex networks of interaction between journalists, media houses, politicians, and political parties on Instagram during the election period. 

The authors further identified 11 key network structures, with particular attention given to one of these structures, which exerted the most influence. This structure highlighted the intricate relationship between media professionals (including figures from Astro AWANI and OnAirTalentManagement) and political actors (such as Friends Of Harapan Selangor). Their analysis demonstrated how these groups shaped political discourse during the election.

The findings suggest a significant blurring of lines between media and political sectors in Malaysia’s digital sphere, raising questions about media independence and narrative framing during elections. This research contributes to understanding digital democracy in Malaysia and offers insights into how social media shapes modern political communication.

The second study, titled “Examining the Impact of Toxicity on Community Structure in Social Networks,” examined how toxic content affects community structure on social media, focusing on pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine communities during the COVID-19 period. The study analyzed data from X (formerly Twitter) between January 2020 and June 2021, using metrics like toxicity scores, modularity, and clustering coefficients to understand community dynamics. Key findings revealed that increased toxicity generally leads to community fragmentation, but with different impacts across groups. Pro-vaccine communities showed more significant fragmentation in response to toxic content compared to anti-vaccine communities, possibly due to greater opinion diversity in pro-vaccine discussions. The researchers used various analytical methods, including Granger causality tests. Community dynamics were visualized through the Sankey diagram.

Notably, when examining community evolution, 15 out of 20 toxic communities eventually transformed into non-toxic communities by the end of their observed periods. The study also found that toxicity’s impact often appears with a time lag, i.e., toxicity’s impact on community fragmentation is not felt instantaneously. 

Prof. Agarwal said, “These findings have important implications for social media platform moderation and community management strategies, offering insights into how toxic behavior shapes online discourse and community stability.”

The International Conference on Complex Networks & their Applications (CNA) seeks to unite researchers from various disciplines who study complex networks. It welcomes two types of submissions: theoretical insights derived from real-world challenges and practical case studies showcasing applied methodologies. The conference’s goal is to foster collaboration and exchange between researchers focusing on theory and those engaged in practical applications.

A vast number of topics fall under the conference’s umbrella of complex networks research. Key research areas that the conference highlights include the modeling, structural properties, and dynamics of complex networks, as well as specialized themes—such as community discovery, link prediction, synchronization, controllability, and motif discovery. Applications in various domains are also emphasized, including biological, technological, financial, economic, political, and physical infrastructure networks. The conference also focuses on computational methods like visualization techniques, network analysis algorithms, graph signal processing, and large-scale graph analytics. Alongside these focuses, the conference explores social applications, such as information spreading, social influence, reputation, trust, and viral marketing, with a particular interest in social media, mobility, and smart systems.

From December 10 to 12, 2024, the 13th CNA conference was held at Istanbul, Turkey. This year COSMOS had 6 papers accepted, presented, and published at the conference. Several cosmographers traveled to the conference with Prof. Agarwal to present their research with travel support from the university and COSMOS. The following is a list of papers from cosmographers that were published in the conference:

• Combating Toxicity: A Systematic Approach to Model Quarantine Intervention for Varied Toxicity Levels
• Tracking Narrative Dynamics Using Churn Management on Social Networks
• Anomalous Channel Detection for YouTube through Label Propagation
• Decoding Digital Dissent through Focal Network Structures
• Examining the Impact of Symbolic Content on YouTube’s Recommendation System
• Modeling Toxicity Propagation on Reddit using Epidemiology

The subsequent editions of our newsletter will do a deep dive into these studies and describe their implications to science and society.

COSMOS is happy to announce the graduation of five Cosmographers in Fall 2024! We interviewed the graduates about their journeys and what the future holds for them. This edition of the newsletter shares the story of one of the graduated students, Manohar Koya, who graduated with a master’s in computer science and worked as a graduate research assistant at the COSMOS Research Center. Subsequent editions will share other student stories. 

“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments and the numerous contributions Manohar has made to the COSMOS Research Center. We all celebrate his academic journey and wish him the best in his future pursuits,” said Dr. Agarwal.

Manohar Koya

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Manohar Koya, and I am from India, having recently finished a Master of Science in Computer Science. I specialize in backend development, scalable systems, and microservices, with a passion for solving complex technical challenges.

What was your inspiration for joining COSMOS?

I was inspired by the impactful work being done in social media data analysis by Prof Agarwal at COSMOS. My prior experience with a similar project during my bachelor’s further fueled my interest and enthusiasm for joining the lab.

How has COSMOS helped in your journey?

COSMOS provided me with an excellent environment to explore my interests in software development and big data management. Working on advanced topics like microservices, Kubernetes, and end-to-end service design and deployment has allowed me to gain hands-on experience in building and supporting scalable systems. I was motivated to delve into emerging technologies such as Go and had the opportunity to design and implement ETL pipelines capable of handling millions of data points daily. These experiences have significantly enhanced my technical skills and prepared me for future challenges in my career.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduating, I am joining Microsoft as a software developer, focusing primarily on backend development and contributing to impactful products. My goal is to enhance organizational growth by driving faster and more efficient feature delivery. In the long term, I aspire to transition into the product and business side of the software industry, leveraging my technical expertise to align product strategies with business goals.

What is your fondest memory as a Cosmographer?

My experience as a Cosmographer has been truly remarkable. I especially cherish our group lunches that Prof Agarwal hosted, which fostered a strong sense of camaraderie among the team. One of my fondest memories was being interviewed by a local news channel about the innovative work we’re doing at COSMOS—a moment that was both inspiring and memorable. I am incredibly grateful for the mentoring and support that Prof. Agarwal provided to groom us into a well-rounded professional. 

Do you have any parting words for Cosmographers?

Being a part of COSMOS has been an incredible journey filled with learning, collaboration, and innovation. As I move forward, I encourage all Cosmographers to continue pushing boundaries, embracing challenges, and supporting one another in creating impactful solutions. Remember, the work we do here has the potential to shape the future—keep striving for excellence!

COSMOS director Prof. Nitin Agarwal was hosted this last November by NewsWise on the podcast “Curious by Nature.” In the interview, Prof. Agarwal described the work COSMOS is doing to mitigate misinformation, disinformation, and other kinds of cognitive threats.

Prof. Agarwal discussed the scope and impact of COSMOS, emphasizing its mission to address such issues. “We are attacking the problems that confront us today in terms of misinformation, disinformation, and cognitive threats from a multidisciplinary and a multi-regional, multicultural perspective,” he said. “Due to the low-cost and low-risk nature of these cognitive threats, our leaders can expect to encounter an increased amount of adversary-generated AI-amplified social media-driven propaganda.” 

Prof. Agarwal also highlighted the dual nature of social media, noting its potential for positive social transformation, such as its role in the Saudi Arabian Women’s Right to Drive movement. However, he also underscored the darker side, including the spread of toxicity, bullying, and false narratives. “During COVID-19, when we were working with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, we saw how misinformed narratives—about vaccines, masks, quarantines, and various other non-pharmaceutical measures—were pushed in these platforms; such things without any scientific evidence can really have damaging effects and life-threatening impacts on society,” Prof. Agarwal explains. “Not only that but we have seen marginalized communities, like the Uighur-Muslim communities in China’s Xinjiang region, that have also been the targets of such disinformation campaigns. And that impacts their livelihoods. . . how they’re seen in the society.” He also identified pro-Russian and pro-Chinese sources as key propagators of disinformation and described how these narratives are tailored to destabilize democratic processes and social cohesion globally.

Among COSMOS’s innovative approaches are studies on coordinated disinformation campaigns, modeling toxic information flows, and detecting suspicious online behaviors, such as orchestrated comments and inorganic growth on platforms like YouTube. Prof. Agarwal concluded by emphasizing the importance of leveraging research to make social media platforms safer and to mitigate cognitive threats. “We are digging one step further: how to solve this problem. We look at how these false narratives or toxicity spreads and what type of things can be done so that we can stem their flow—whether it is through epidemiological modeling, more advanced social network analysis, or AI-based models – fighting fire with fire!” He called for collaborative efforts in education, policy-making, and scientific applications to promote the positive potential of digital technologies for society.

NewsWise is a news distribution platform that connects academic institutions, research organizations, and other entities with journalists worldwide. It aims to facilitate the sharing of credible, newsworthy information by providing press releases, expert contacts, and other resources to members of the media. NewsWise supports informed journalism by offering accurate and accessible content, often related to scientific, medical, and scholarly topics.

In NewsWise’s “Curious by Nature” podcast, listeners can listen to scientific experts to discover the knowledge that comes with years of dedicated study within various fields. To hear the full podcast episode with Prof. Agarwal, visit here.

COSMOS, in this edition of Cosmographer Corner, highlights the work of former University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate and Cosmographer Dr. Therese Williams. We are extremely proud of Dr. Williams’s accomplishments! 

Dr. Williams—who is now an associate professor and the chair of information systems and operations management (ISOM) for the College of Business at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO)—started her graduate education at UA Little Rock in 2014, studying for a PhD in computer science. Dr. Williams received her PhD in computer & information sciences in 2017. We interviewed Dr. Williams on where her career is now and what her work at COSMOS entailed, with her responses below.

How did COSMOS fit into your university/secondary education career? How did you come across COSMOS, and what were you studying when you joined COSMOS?

I was in COSMOS very early. In fact, I was in it before it was even called COSMOS. 

So I started my doctorate in 2012. The main reason that I wanted to get a doctorate was because I wanted to teach; that was my goal. I have always enjoyed learning, which led me to pursue a doctorate in Information Quality. Around that time, I was invited to a research meeting led by Dr. Agarwal. There were only four or five people in attendance, but I found the experience fascinating and kept going. Over time, I decided my ultimate goal was to teach. At that point, UA Little Rock was one of only a few universities offering a program in Information Quality, and I realized that universities typically do not hire their own graduates as professors, at least not immediately. This prompted me to switch my major to Information Science. I then asked Dr. Agarwal to be my dissertation advisor, and as the research group expanded, we decided to name it COSMOS. And, well, the rest is history.

Alongside my doctorate, I earned a graduate certificate in statistics, which came about unexpectedly. While working on a research paper, I struggled with statistical concepts I hadn’t studied in years, so I decided to take a class. Realizing I only needed four classes for the certificate, I completed it, which I believe played a significant role in landing my job. 

How would you describe the “research pipeline” that you worked on while at COSMOS? In other words, what was the specific area in which you researched?

My dissertation and research centered on privacy. I initially struggled to choose a dissertation topic, especially before becoming more involved with Dr. Agarwal’s group. Having spent years in industry, primarily working with databases and security, I knew I didn’t want to focus on security for my dissertation. My early work with Dr. Agarwal involved bibliometric research on social networking, where I analyzed a decade of conference papers and their citations to identify clusters of influence. This was fascinating and ultimately led me to privacy research. 

In a research methodologies class taught by Dr. Wigand, I developed a short paper on privacy that evolved into a conference paper and eventually my dissertation. My approach framed privacy not as a technical or security issue but as a policy challenge concerning how companies and individuals handle information. Using Alan Westin’s privacy framework, which categorizes individuals into three groups based on their attitudes toward sharing information, I conducted multiple surveys to measure how education affected privacy awareness. 

Surprisingly, more participants moved toward less privacy-conscious attitudes rather than becoming more cautious. While I’ve always intended to expand on this data, teaching responsibilities have shifted my focus toward the scholarship of teaching. My recent research has explored student perceptions during COVID, leading to three published papers. 

Since leaving COSMOS, what roles/positions/jobs have you had? What is your current work?

I was fortunate to secure my current position just a few months after graduating in May, starting in August. I’ve now been in this role for seven years, and while it’s a great fit, I do miss Arkansas. I joined UCO as an assistant professor on the tenure track, transitioning from an industry-focused background to a teaching-intensive role at a university where teaching carries greater emphasis than at research institutions like UALR or the University of Arkansas. UCO’s teaching load is four classes per semester, which can make balancing other responsibilities challenging. 

Initially, I was hired to support the master’s program in business analytics and began teaching a graduate database class alongside an undergraduate database course and an introductory business analytics course for undergraduates. The database classes, taught using SQL Server, covered standard topics, while the undergraduate business analytics course primarily focused on Excel for summary statistics, linear regression, and other basic concepts. The program emphasizes applied analytics over programming, teaching tools and methods from a business perspective. Though we include one Python class, the focus is less on coding and more on practical applications, making my degree instrumental in supporting this approach.

Before COVID, the undergraduate business analytics course required significant reworking. Students disliked the industry-focused textbook, and grading spreadsheets submitted by over 100 students weekly was unsustainable. I spearheaded a committee to select a new textbook with integrated online tools for automatic grading and revamped the course, recording extensive instructional videos. Although the videos initially needed improvement, this redesign made the course more manageable and enhanced student performance and satisfaction. When COVID forced all classes online, the updated course proved successful and earned praise for its smooth transition.

Over time, as new faculty joined, I shifted from teaching the undergraduate database course to teaching two graduate classes: a more advanced version of the undergraduate analytics course and another in the business analytics program. I regularly update course materials to stay current, including recent textbook changes for both undergraduate and graduate courses. In Fall 2022, I became a tenured professor, and in Fall 2023, I transitioned to department chair. This role reduced my teaching load to two courses per semester, though faculty shortages have occasionally required me to teach an extra class. Despite these challenges, I continue to enjoy teaching database and analytics courses, constantly refining them to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.

What positions did COSMOS and your classes at UA Little Rock best prepare you for?

I had mentioned earlier the two online classes that significantly influenced my understanding of online teaching: statistics and grant writing. These courses provided a stark contrast—one serving as a great example and the other as a poor one—of what effective online teaching should look like. I often reflect on those experiences when designing my own online classes. Beyond that, I enjoyed all my courses during my studies. For example, Dr. Xiao Wei Zhu’s classes in information science were engaging. His database course evolved into something akin to topic modeling, while another of his classes shifted focus as well, making them interesting. Additionally, the Friday afternoon doctoral seminars were a highlight. These research meetings brought in speakers from various fields, exposing students to a wide range of topics and ideas outside their own areas of study, which I found both inspiring and enriching.

If you had to describe the most momentous event at COSMOS, what would it be?

When I think back to pivotal moments in my academic journey, deciding on my dissertation topic stands out as a peak. That moment likely emerged from the research methodologies class, which sparked my interest in privacy as a concept distinct from security. I enjoyed the conferences I attended during this time as well. My first conference was AMCIS in Savannah, Georgia, followed by SoUPS, the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security, where I conducted a bibliometric study. SoUPS, while a strong conference in its field, felt relatively small and not particularly welcoming. After graduating, I attended another AMCIS conference in Boston shortly after starting at UCO. Additionally, I co-chaired a conference on information quality at UA Little Rock with the International Association of Data Quality (IADQ). While it was a fun experience, organizing the event in the student center with a fellow student involved a great deal of work. These events collectively contributed to my growth as a scholar and my engagement with the academic community.

What advice would you have for current Cosmographers?

For those currently in the COSMOS program, my first piece of advice is to have fun and truly enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t find joy in it, it might be time to reconsider your path. Take full advantage of the resources around you—there are professors and more experienced students with a wealth of knowledge who are willing to share it. Communication is equally vital. Get involved, ask questions, and engage in discussions. It’s okay to admit when you don’t understand something or even when you disagree—that’s how you learn. As my mother once said, I started asking questions at two years old and never stopped, and that curiosity has been invaluable. The world is constantly evolving, and while you may know everything today, you won’t tomorrow. Embrace learning as a continuous journey, and remember that curiosity and communication are key to growth and understanding.

In this month’s research spotlight, we highlight recent research from COSMOS that focuses on using YouTube videos to discover meaningful trends—specifically, the studies titled,
 

• “Unveiling Bias in YouTube Shorts: Analyzing Thumbnail Recommendations and Topic Dynamics,” and
• “Investigating YouTube Narratives and User Resonance in the South China Sea Dispute.”
  

Each studied different trends in YouTube data, such as popular narratives or algorithmic recommendation bias. These studies were published and presented recently at this year’s annual International Conference on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling & Prediction and Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation (SBP-BRiMS 2024), which took place from 18 to 20 September in Pittsburgh, PA.

“Unveiling Bias in YouTube Shorts: Analyzing Thumbnail Recommendations and Topic Dynamics” investigates bias in YouTube Shorts’ recommendation algorithms by analyzing thumbnail recommendations using advanced topic modeling techniques. Focusing on the South China Sea Dispute as a case study, the researchers collected over 100,000 videos and used generative AI and BERTopic to track topic shifts across recommendation depths. Their study revealed a significant algorithmic bias where initial serious or geopolitical topics quickly drifted towards more entertaining, high-engagement content. As recommendation cycles progressed, substantial topics were replaced by lifestyle, entertainment, and miscellaneous videos. This bias potentially marginalizes important subjects by prioritizing popular, less serious content and underscores the need for more transparent and equitable recommendation practices.

“Investigating YouTube Narratives and User Resonance in the South China Sea Dispute” analyzes YouTube narratives about the 2022 South China Sea Dispute using advanced AI techniques. The researchers examined 4,225 videos, extracting insights on sentiment, emotions, morality, and toxicity. Key findings included a prevailing negative sentiment, particularly around the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and high levels of fear in the narratives. The research highlighted narratives about NATO’s support for Ukraine, China and Philippines’ diplomatic interactions, and emerging geopolitical tensions. Notable trends included surges in harm-related narratives, toxic content featuring political figures, and emotional variations between video content and user comments. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the online discourse surrounding complex international disputes.

Prof. Nitin Agarwal has been appointed to a key working group by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. This group will explore the safe and effective integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Arkansas state government operations. Prof. Agarwal brings extensive experience to this initiative and has collaborated with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO. His work has advanced understanding in areas like misinformation, social computing, and algorithmic accountability.

The task force, a subcommittee of the Data and Transparency Panel chaired by Arkansas Chief Data Officer Robert McGough, is working to create ethical guidelines, policies, and best practices for AI use in state government. This includes evaluating pilot projects in areas such as unemployment fraud detection and recidivism reduction.

Governor Sanders emphasized the transformative potential of AI for improving government efficiency while cautioning against its misuse. “AI can play a role in improving service to Arkansans while keeping costs low. At the same time, we must prevent misuse to protect Arkansans,” she stated.

Agarwal echoed these sentiments, highlighting the importance of balancing innovation with ethical considerations. “AI systems often rely on vast amounts of personal data, raising concerns about privacy, fairness, and public trust,” he said. His recommendations will focus on embedding principles of transparency, accountability, and equity into AI governance.

The initiative underscores Arkansas’s commitment to becoming a leader in responsible AI adoption, aligning technological advancements with societal values. Agarwal’s contributions will help shape AI policies that ensure safety, innovation, and public confidence, further positioning Arkansas as a model for responsible AI integration.

Click here to read more about Prof. Agarwal’s role, Arkansas’s vision for AI, and how the state is preparing for the future of this transformative technology.