Prof. Nitin Agarwal invited to chair and talk at the panel on “The Challenges of Human Interaction in the Digital Age”
Prof. Nitin Agarwal chaired and spoke at the panel “The Challenges of Human Interaction in the Digital Age” during the Seventeenth International Conference on Information, Process, and Knowledge Management (eKNOW 2025), held May 18–22 in Nice, France. Convened on May 18, the session explored how AI-driven systems reshape communication, trust, and decision-making. Prof. Agarwal’s expertise in social computing and cognitive security provided critical framing for the dialogue, reinforcing the conference’s broader focus on advancing responsible and interdisciplinary approaches to digital transformation.
Research Spotlight: Digital Symbols and Democratic Trust: A Study of Visual Elements in YouTube Content
Cosmographers presented award-winning work at the 31st Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS 2025) held in Montreal, Canada examining symbolic communication in information campaigns in Taiwan. Analyzing 1,973 YouTube videos, the study found cultural symbols drove the strongest engagement, while social symbols built trust. Content blending multiple symbol types amplified both outcomes. Extending Media Richness and Social Presence theories, the research highlights how layered symbolic strategies foster democratic trust, engagement, and more meaningful digital political discourse. The study was selected among the Top 25% papers presented at the conference.
COSMOS Achieves Milestone with Ten Papers Accepted at ASONAM 2025
COSMOS proudly celebrates the acceptance of Ten Research Papers at the 17th International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining (ASONAM 2025) held August 25-28 in Niagara Falls, Canada. This milestone underscores the team’s excellence and global leadership in social network research. The papers span diverse topics including online communities, influence networks, narrative diffusion, and public discourse, advancing both theory and practice. This achievement reflects the dedication of COSMOS researchers and highlights their mission to address real-world challenges in today’s digitally connected society.
COSMOS to Meta for an Internship
Ridwan Amure, Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science and COSMOS researcher, recently completed a summer internship at Meta, focusing on recommendation systems through machine learning model development and data pipelines. His work enhanced his technical expertise, while challenges with internal tools deepened his adaptability. Ridwan credits his COSMOS research on networks for preparing him to understand user connectivity in social media. Describing the experience as “splendid,” he highlights presenting research to a global audience as a memorable moment and encourages peers to prepare diligently.
Hot off the press: Developing a Network-Centric Approach for Anomalous Behavior Detection on YouTube
Springer’s Social Network Analysis and Mining (SNAM) has published COSMOS’s study, “Developing a Network-Centric Approach for Anomalous Behavior Detection on YouTube.” Analyzing 26,901 videos, 1.4 million commenters, and 2.49 million comments, the research reveals how coordinated “mobs” manipulate engagement through dense, clustered networks. Using bipartite modeling, dimensionality reduction, and clustering, the study reliably flags deceptive channels, particularly those amplifying militarized narratives with provocative symbolic communication. This work advances methodological and theoretical insights, offering actionable tools to safeguard digital trust and discourse integrity.
New Hire: Dinesh Ramadugu, Data Engineer
COSMOS proudly welcomes Dinesh Ramadugu as a full-time Data Engineer. With a Master’s in Computer Science and expertise in Python, SQL, and cloud platforms, Dinesh brings valuable experience in building efficient data pipelines. Drawn to COSMOS’s mission of leveraging data science for social good, he aspires to deepen his skills in AI and machine learning while contributing to interdisciplinary research. Dinesh highlighted COSMOS’s welcoming culture and encourages newcomers to stay curious, collaborative, and open to learning in this dynamic environment.
Cosmographer Corner: Richard Young, UI/UX Designer
In this edition of Cosmographer Corner, we highlight Richard Young, a former COSMOS researcher and 2019 M.S. graduate in Information Science from UA Little Rock. Now a UX Designer at Gravitate, Richard credits COSMOS with shaping his career through projects that blended data, design, and social impact. His work on visualization tools, including “movie barcodes,” fostered skills in human-centered, ethical design. Guided by Prof. Nitin Agarwal’s mentorship, Richard emphasizes responsibility, collaboration, and applying social computing research to address today’s AI-driven information challenges.