by Damian Grimling | Aug 5, 2021 | Politics and Social
This is undoubtedly one of the most commented political topics of recent weeks. Lex TVN. What it is. It’s a parliamentary draft of amendments to the media law, the proceedings of which coincided with the expiration of the license to broadcast the TVN24 television station. Is the topic heating up citizens online? If so, how much?
Lex TVN. What is it about and how do Internet users react?
- The TVN24 station, according to the new law, may not get its 10-year broadcasting license renewed,
- The topic has been one of the most popular in recent weeks and has been strongly agitating Internet users,
- Emotions are rising as soon as one remembers that the whole issue is being watched personally by US President Joe Biden.The topic of the concession to the TVN24 station stirs emotions, as evidenced by the high emotion arousal of Internet users. We examined the discussion of the so-called Lex TVN across the web (not only social media, but also comments under editorials and on forums and blogs and elsewhere). This is a total of almost 180,000 opinions of Internet users. The chart below illustrates the number of statements on the subject online and the average daily intensity of emotional arousal. The values of this indicator for the entire analyzed period, i.e. from July 8 to August 2 this year, were higher than 50%.
The topic of the TVN24 station’s concession stirs emotions, as evidenced by the high emotional arousal of Internet users. We examined the discussion of the so-called Lex TVN across the web (not only social media, but also comments under editorials and on forums and blogs and elsewhere). This is a total of almost 180,000 opinions of Internet users. The chart below illustrates the number of statements on the subject online and the average daily intensity of emotional arousal.
Contexts of negative discussion on Lex TVN
As is standard with the topic of media repolonization, the key contexts for negative discussion are: free media, freedom of speech, independent media. A lot of discussion was devoted to foreign capital in the media (here, too, the context is about private business, the civilized world, the owner of TVN). However, the citizen’s right to access the media and to reliable information was pointed out. As standard, criticism went in the direction of the ruling party, the public media were slashed (context: propaganda tube, brainwashing, dark people). Also standard in this type of discussion is extensive reference to other current policy issues. This is another typical clash of tribes in the digital world.
In terms of discussion venues, we recorded the most anger on news portals, i.e. in conversations among Internet users under editorials (level of almost 40%). The most joy, on the other hand, appeared on Facebook. There, many posts and content were published under which people cheered the opposition in taking action to defend their favorite TV station.
In general, however, the dominance of negative emotion is noticeable in all media, although the level of emotion saturation = 50% was not exceeded in any of the sources.
Conclusions
In 2020. Poland has dropped as many as 11 positions on the list of the strongest national brands (Soft Power Index). It seems that Lex TVN is another unnecessary and potentially dangerous image crisis for the country. Such events have a direct impact not only on polarizing citizens and fueling further conflicts. They cause more tangible losses – declines in the rankings of the strongest brands-countries (e.g., Country Index, in which Poland fell 11 notches to position 55 in 2020). The situation around Lex TVN – even if it’s just a holiday substitute topic – could scare off potential investors and damage our foreign policy.
From the point of view of surveys of conversations among Internet users, this is another topic in a whole sea of political topics to stir up the electorate online. It can also be a completely surrogate issue, thrown in by politicians for the vacation season to stoke extreme emotion. There is also no denying that the topic has somewhat run out of steam in recent days.
The defense, according to the opposition, of the so-called “free media” does not break through as strongly in the online world. The issue can also be considered on another level. The ruling party has a plan to win the next election. It can do this with TVN24 (it has succeeded many times), but it may not succeed in the absence of Internet control. Perhaps the next installment of the battle for control in the media will be in this space. The station, which is the subject of Lex TVN, will become a forbidden fruit once the new law is passed. This means that its popularity – contrary to the assumptions of the new law – is likely to soar.
by Damian Grimling | Aug 3, 2021 | In the media
Intro: A startup from Poznań has harnessed artificial intelligence to analyze sentiment in financial markets. The algorithm is able to forecast trends in stock or cryptocurrency trading on this basis.
Author: Michał Duszczyk
Place and date of publication: Rzeczpospolita, 03-08-2021
Article link (Polish)
Article to download
by Damian Grimling | May 10, 2021 | SentiBrand
The topic of vaccines, and specifically the differences between them, arouses great emotion. Analysis of Google search phrases shows that the public is still looking for information on the differences between preparations of different manufacturers. “Which vaccine to choose?”, “Moderna or Pfizer?” – are just some of them. This time we took to the workshop conversations of Internet users about five preparations. We explored the emotions and sentiment between them to see how they differ.
Pfizer or Moderna, or which vaccine to choose?
The material analyzed by our team represents a total of nearly 190,000 mentions of five vaccine manufacturers between January 1 and May 6, 2021. Content about specific manufacturers was filtered out of discussions about COVID-19 vaccines overall. Using the SentiTool tool, it only took a few minutes to get the full results.
Preparations were most often discussed by Internet users under articles on news sites. The second place in terms of discussion sites was Twitter, followed by Facebook. On news portals, Internet users discussed AstraZeneca most often. This is also where a lot of opinions about the Sputnik-V vaccine from Russia were reported online. On Twitter and Facebook, but also in other places, it was Pfizer. These two vaccines are among the most commented on.
The graph of discussion dynamics (monthly data) shows that the AstraZeneca controversy has had its effect. This vaccine was discussed very intensively – most often in March this year. Johnson&Johnson was the least discussed. It is worth noting that in a significant number of opinions there were more names of preparations.
COVID-19 vaccines – a comparison. Sentiment and emotion
When looking at the differences in sentiment of opinion of a given vaccine versus the others, two extremes are clearly visible. Johnson’s was the most positively commented on during the study period. In contrast, the most negative statements were reported around Sputnik-V. The controversy around vaccine reactions after AstraZeneca’s vaccine ultimately did not impair the online image. More unfavorable content was seen from Pfizer, which may come as a surprise.
DIFFERENCES IN OPINION SENTIMENT BETWEEN VACCINES DURING THE STUDY PERIOD
Differences in the intensity of negative and positive sentiment inopinions on COVID-19 formulations. The graph shows how sentiment differed for each vaccine from the other four
This preparation is one of the most popular among Poles and it is with this preparation that citizens most often want to be vaccinated. This may have been influenced by the co-occurrence of other preparation names together with Pfizer. This is because we are primarily examining the general climate of online discussion around the products of pharmaceutical companies. Thus the graph below shows how opinions on one preparation could have influenced the discussion climate around another preparation on the basis of co-occurrence. Moderna and AstraZeneca co-occurred most frequently with Pfizer.
Co-occurrence analysis of formulations in online reviews
The chart below breaks the positive and negative sentiment into eight base emotions for an even closer look at vaccine opinions. Sputnik-V differed from the other formulations with a high dose of disgust (about 13% more than the others) from internet users, while Pfizer differed with fear and sadness. AstraZeneca reported a slight increase in confidence and expectation. With the same emotions, single-dose Johnson differed from the rest most on the plus side (with strong decreases in negative emotions relative to competitors). As for Moderna, there is little difference from the other four formulations against COVID-19.
The above analysis is illustrative and informative. It does not reflect the full results of the study.
by Damian Grimling | May 12, 2020 | Sentimenti research
The Sentimenti tools are evolving. At the moment we are entering into further and more advanced stages of tools development. In this article, however, we return to the roots of our project. It is worth mentioning what we actually measure and how do we understand particular emotions. And this is only the tip of an iceberg!
The easiest way to understand our concept is to use a ready-made description, created for the purposes of a certain project (whose Sentimenti tools are a tangible effect), developed by our researchers, Monika Riegel, PhD and Małgorzata Wierzba, PhD from Laboratory of Brain Imaging – Neurobiology Center, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Sentimenti tools. Definition of affective dimensions:
Valence, a sign of emotion and sentiment
- determines whether a given information or event evokes negative or positive emotions in us;
- has a range from negative emotions (caused by averse events) to positive emotions (caused by attractive events);
- the more positively we evaluate the information and events we experience, the more positive emotions are evoked in us;
- the more negative the information and events we experience, the more negative emotions evoke in us.
Emotional arousal
- determines the level of intensity of our emotions in relation to a given information or event;
- It ranges from no excitement (indifference) to strong excitement (agitation or excitement);
- Strong Arousal means a state of increased vigilance, attention and information processing;
- Arousal plays a key role in motivating our body to take certain actions;
- Arousal is also associated with specific physiological and neural responses (e.g. increased heart rate, accelerated breathing).
Basic emotions and their definitions
JOY
- Joy includes many positive emotions felt in response to what is known or new;
- we signal joy through a sincere, authentic smile, which consists of lifting the corners of the mouth diagonally upwards and tension in the circular muscles of the eye (lifting the cheeks and creating wrinkles around the eyes with age);
- joy is also shown by voice signals – breathing with relief or laughing or giggling;
- the main message of joy is “I like it”, so our support or encouragement for something.
SADNESS
- The feeling of sadness is a way to deal with loss and show others that we need support;
- Sadness signals include wrinkled lips (lower lip slightly raised and corners of the mouth lowered), inner corners of eyebrows joined and raised to the center of the forehead, raised cheeks;
- other manifestations of sadness are tears, as well as vocalisation expressing this emotion (weeping, trembling voice);
- The main message of sorrow is “comfort me”, and therefore an invitation to others to show us their support and care.
TRUST
- means believing that someone or something will behave in accordance with our expectations;
- feeling of trust brings us a sense of security and builds affection;
- The main message of trust is “I believe you won’t let me down”, it allows us to build not only intimate relationships with others, but also to find our place in society;
- Interestingly, we are more confident in faces similar to ours.
DISGUST
- The feeling of disgust with something allows us to avoid things that are harmful to us, both in the literal physical and mental sense;
- there are three elements of facial expressions expressing repulsion: the first is the ejection of the tongue reminiscent of spitting something out, the second is the lifting of the upper lip so that the gums and teeth are exposed, the third is the wrinkle of the nose and the expansion of the nostrils;
- the main message of disgust is to “go away from it”, which also signals to others to avoid the object of disgust because it is unhealthy, contaminated or reprehensible (socially or morally).
ANGER
- we feel anger when something blocks us or when we feel treated unfairly;
- when anger is uncontrollable, we raise our voice and scream, and when we have control over it, we take a sharp, attacking tone;
- the signal of anger on our face is a flash in our eyes, lowered eyebrows and squeezed lips;
- When people receive a signal of anger, they usually feel hurt and may try to take revenge by also showing anger;
- The main message of anger is to “get out of my way”, with a range from discontent to threat or attack, depending on the severity.
FEAR
- the fear of danger allows us to prepare for something that threatens us;
- and the most common signal of fear are wide open eyes, stretched lips and raised, joined eyebrows;
- the feeling of fear can also be accompanied by a reaction of avoidance. In example it is moving away from the source of fear, or dying;
- strong fear may be accompanied by an outburst of screaming, as well as signals such as heavy breathing, a slightly back-facing head and tense neck muscles;
- the main message of fear is “help!”, ranging from anxiety to panic, depending on the severity.
EXPECTATION
- an emotion involving excitement or anxiety in anticipation of upcoming events;
- Expectation is used to reduce the tension or stress associated with the challenge ahead by imagining it and developing a strategy to deal with it;
- The main message of the expectation is “I’m waiting for what will happen”. The ability to anticipate the effects of our actions in the future is essential for enjoying life.
SURPRISE
- emotion felt in reaction to unexpected events, expressing the discrepancy between our expectations and reality;
- the signs of surprise are raised and curved eyebrows, transverse wrinkles on the forehead, wide open eyes and enlarged pupils;
- is also visible through the lowered jaw, the separation of the upper and lower lips and teeth, the relaxation of the mouth
the surprise can be negative or positive;
- the main message of a surprise is “I didn’t expect it”. Although it ranges from light to very strong (the “run away or fight” reaction), depending on the intensity.
Emotion diads
Between 1960 and 1980, an American psychologist developed his theory of emotions. He decided to start with the eight basic emotions. According to Robert Plutchik’s theory of emotions, because it is referred to when different emotions are felt at the same time, they can create more complex types of emotions called diads. Diads arise from related but not opposing (mutually exclusive) emotions. The Sentimenti tools can analyze emotions based on 8 basic emotions. We stand out:
The basic diads (often felt):
- joy + trust → love
- trust + fear → humility, submissiveness
- fear + surprise → agitation, fear, horror
- surprise + sadness → disappointment
- sadness + disgust→ Repentance, repentance
- disgust + anger → contempt, envy
- anger + expectation → aggression, aggressiveness, aggressiveness
- expectation + joy → optimism
Secondary diads (sometimes felt):
- joy + fear → guilt
- trust + surprise → curiosity
- fear + sadness → despair
- surprise + revulsion → shock
- sadness + anger → suffering
- disgust + expectation → cynicism
- anger + joy → pride
- expectation + trust → fatality
Tertiary diads (less common):
- joy + surprise → admiration
- trust + sadness → sentimentalism
- fear + disgust → shame
- surprise + anger → indignation
- sadness + expectation → pessimism
- disgust + joy → pathology
- anger + trust → domination
- expectation + fear → anxiety
Opposites:
- joy + sadness → conflict
trust + disgust → conflict,
fear + anger → conflict
surprise + expectation → conflict
by Damian Grimling | Apr 1, 2020 | Lifestyle
Foreign languages analyses will be available in Sentimenti soon! In January, we announced the implementation of the English language. And it’s true, the works on that matter are at a very advanced stage. But when we sit at home, instead of working in the office or at the university, we face different challenges in our team. We are playing games, servers and graphics cards too, our artificial intelligence does not get bored (we called her Catherine The Machine in the team).
You know that for us our mother tongue is the most important. Our machine is with us from the very beginning of the project. This January, we started working on implementing English. We have informed you about this interesting challenge in the news, with the goal of implementation in the spring.
But 2020 was not very fortunate so far for all of us, so we thought we had a little more time. For those, who like challenges this is the ideal situation. We made them out of all this… SEVENTEEN. In particular: Czech, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Estonian, German, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Slovenian, Turkish.
Yes, yes – so many foreign languages in less than a month! Is that all? No 🙂 – in the short list of foreign languages, there are more or less exotic languages in the advanced stage of our research: Chinese, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Japanese, Bulgarian, Swedish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, just to name the few… in total more than NINETY languages. We have some busy times over here!
