Workshop on Deviant Activities on Social Media

Introduction

With the proliferation of smart devices, mobile applications, and social network platforms, the social side effects of these technologies have become more profound, especially in social and political disintegration. Several journalistic and academic investigations have reported that modern communication platforms such as social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube, and the “deep web” channels) are strategically used to coordinate cyber propaganda campaigns. Several researchers have studied these campaigns and identified various tactics, techniques, and procedures used by various online deviant groups, e.g., online propagandists groups or terrorist groups sympathizers. Various social media platforms utilized the research findings to detect and curb some of these campaigns, however, the techniques that are used evolve and adapt to go undetected. This is a growing problem. In this workshop, our aim is to have a scientific discussion among the experts who study deviant activities on social media, including but not limited to, detection of deviant/disruptive behaviors on social media; misinformation detection, identification, and dissemination; case studies of misinformation; etc. This includes the following topics:

Research Topics

Misinformation detection
Misinformation dissemination strategies
Cross-platform dissemination
Hashtag Latching
Propaganda dissemination
Deviant behaviors on social media platforms
Coordination strategies and detection
Cyber Flash Mobs

Spamming
Algorithmic Manipulation such as Recommendation Manipulation
Inorganic behaviors
Bots behaviors, evolution, and detection
Online Trolls detection and strategies,
Hate Speech (Toxic or polarizing or disruptive content)
Narratives in misinformation campaigns

**In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming the US. elections, we also solicit papers focused on disinformation and misinformation being disseminated related to these events.**