The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of influential users, not the performance analysis of ARM algorithms. Therefore, one of the most widely used ‘Apriori algorithm’ is employed. The computations in this study are performed using an Intel Core i5-8250U Quad-core processor equipped with 12 GB of RAM. The characteristics of influencers from the mining results are uncovered in the following steps:
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Load the preprocessed data as depicted in Fig. 1.
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Perform association rule mining using the Apriori algorithm.
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Adjust the control parameters, such as a minimum support to 10%, a minimum confidence to 80%, and a lift to higher than 1.
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Sort the rules sorted based on the number of factors on the left-hand side (LHS) to obtain systematic insights into the relationship between characteristics and the responses
Since the dataset has been derived from the specific time-stamped Reddit pages where each corresponding to a particular age group, therefore, the obtained results specify the relationship among users according to temporal details.
The analysis in Fig. 3 is based on the extracted Reddit dataset which shows that Teenagers and Young Adults exhibit similar usage patterns. Both types of users are actively engaged in posting comments during the evening and late-night hours. According to Fig. 3, teenagers have contributed over 500 thousand comments during the evening and more than 200 thousand comments during late nights, including weekends. Table 3 demonstrates that teenagers account for approximately 62% of their posts in the evening and 25% during late nights. Nevertheless, an interesting observation reveals that Young Adults have contributed over 96 thousand comments during business hours, which represents 18% of their posted comments during business hours that is 7% higher as compared to Teenagers. This disparity suggests that a significant number of Young Adults are employed or pursuing technical and higher education, leading them to utilize Reddit for staying informed about market trends, developing job skills, and conducting job searches. These activities go beyond mere entertainment and social interaction.
Likewise, individuals in their forties and fifties, regardless of gender, exhibit comparable commenting patterns. Furthermore, men aged between 30 and 50 tend to actively comment during the evening and late-night hours, representing approximately 36% and 47% of their total activity. Similarly, women aged between 32 and 45 predominantly engage in commenting during the evening and late-night periods, comprising approximately 44% and 34% of their overall contribution. However, men and women in their fifties, particularly those beyond the mid-fifties age range, exhibit a notable trend of posting a substantial portion of their comments during the morning, constituting approximately 38% and 34% of their total activity. This phenomenon can be attributed to several factors. One key factor is that individuals aged 50 and above often hold senior positions in their careers, having attained promotions or experienced stable business growth. As a result, those in their mid-fifties and beyond tend to prioritize staying informed about overall market conditions, business-related news, economic policies, investment returns, pension planning, family matters, and healthcare. Consequently, individuals in this age group tend to seek out and engage with relevant Subreddits, engaging in discussions, gathering information, and exchanging ideas through chatting and gossiping. Conversely, individuals in their forties, both men and women, have minimal engagement in the morning hours, accounting for only 7% and 8.7% respectively. This is likely due to the active involvement of this age group in earning a living through employment or business, resulting in a higher frequency of commenting during leisure hours for entertainment and social connections.
Table 3. Usage analysis in percentage during different segments of a day on Reddit by various Age groups
Segment of Day Age Group | Teenage (12–18) | Young Adults (19–23) | Parents (40–55) | Feminists (28–45) | Men (30–50) | Men (51–60) | Women (32–45) | Women (46–57) |
Morning | 02 | 0.8 | 33.7 | 0.0 | 07 | 38 | 8.7 | 33.9 |
Business Time | 11 | 18.4 | 4.8 | 19 | 09 | 14.3 | 12.6 | 13.6 |
Evening | 62 | 49.1 | 52.3 | 39.3 | 36.5 | 41.1 | 44.3 | 39.7 |
Late nights | 25 | 31.7 | 9.2 | 41.7 | 47.5 | 6.6 | 34.4 | 12.8 |
Surprisingly, parents exhibit a notable pattern of commenting on social media platforms primarily during two specific time periods: in the evening after their work hours and in the morning before they commence their day. During the evening, parents contribute nearly half of their comments, seeking relaxation and entertainment. Similarly, in the morning, they allocate over one-fourth of their commenting activity. This can be attributed to the fact that mornings are often hectic for parents as they focus on getting their children ready for school, and afterward, they utilize social media as a means to unwind and find moments of respite. Moreover, social media serves as a platform for parents to overcome feelings of isolation by connecting with other parents and forming a supportive community. Finally, feminists tend to engage in commenting primarily during the evening and late-night hours, aiming to reach a larger audience. Approximately 40% of their comments are posted in the evening, with over 41% occurring during late nights. This behavior is attributed to the fact that individuals from various backgrounds tend to have leisure time available for relaxation and socializing after their working hours.
Subsequently, the findings presented in Table 4 demonstrate that the Women subreddit have the highest number of members in a single association rule, followed by Feminists and Teenagers. A longer association rule with a larger number of members or itemsets signifies the influence of members who have prompted engagement from others in the form of comments. Notably, the association rules within the Women subreddit exhibit recurring members on the antecedent side of the rules. For example, user 270 appears in rule 1, rule 2, rule 4, and rule 5. The most frequently occurring users on the antecedent side across all generated association rules can be considered as the "Influential users." Similarly, the top-5 association rules highlighted in Table 4 indicate that Teenagers form a tightly connected community with a substantial following. Furthermore, Table 5 reveals that Teenagers predominantly engage in discussions related to showbiz, social issues, and personal life. Additionally, the association rules associated with Teenagers exhibit over 90% confidence and high lift values, affirming the accuracy of the association rules and the strong dependency of itemsets on each other.
Table 4
Top-5 association rules from each age group with support, confidence, and lift
Age Groups | Generated Association Rule | Support (%) | Confidence (%) | Lift |
Teenagers | 1. | 7192,4526,4528,280,270,7162,4538 ◊ 44321 | 0.25 | 0.94 | 11.2 |
2. | 5040,4532,4528,284,270,7162,4538 ◊ 44161 | 0.25 | 0.94 | 9.64 |
3. | 4532,4526,4534,4528,270,7162,4538 ◊ 44393 | 0.25 | 0.93 | 9.44 |
4. | 7212,4528,284,270,7162,4538 ◊ 44220 | 0.25 | 0.93 | 9.12 |
5. | 4536,4532,4534,270,7162,4538 ◊ 44329 | 0.25 | 0.93 | 8.71 |
Young Adults | 1. | 172,131,164,103,148,134,136 ◊160 | 0.23 | 0.92 | 12.39 |
2. | 172,131,164,103,148,134,136 ◊ 140 | 0.22 | 0.92 | 10.68 |
3. | 111,103,109,156,166,107,160 ◊129 | 0.22 | 0.92 | 10.46 |
4. | 111,142,134,160,140,129,152 ◊ 158 | 0.22 | 0.92 | 10.09 |
5. | 164,103,125,166,134,162,107 ◊ 136 | 0.21 | 0.92 | 9.64 |
Parents | 1. | 134,136,185,186,190 ◊ 210 | 0.17 | 0.94 | 17.64 |
2. | 134,136,186,190 ◊ 185 | 0.14 | 0.94 | 15.19 |
3. | 134,159,186,190 ◊ 124 | 0.13 | 0.94 | 14.88 |
4. | 134,136,139,186 ◊ 167 | 0.13 | 0.94 | 14.37 |
5. | 134,135,136,139 ◊ 137 | 0.13 | 0.93 | 13.72 |
Feminists | 1. | 107,134,136,148,152,156,158,160,166 ◊168 | 0.22 | 0.93 | 10.98 |
2. | 107,129,134,140,142,152,156,158,160 ◊170 | 0.20 | 0.93 | 9.45 |
3. | 105,129,134,138,140,144,148,158 ◊162 | 0.20 | 0.92 | 9.25 |
4. | 105,107,129,134,136,154,156,158 ◊174 | 0.19 | 0.92 | 8.94 |
5. | 107,125,129,146,152,158,160,166 ◊172 | 0.18 | 0.92 | 8.54 |
Men | 1. | 51, 56, 61, 140, 198 ◊ 542 | 0.21 | 0.92 | 16.47 |
2. | 61, 140, 268, 1037 ◊ 82 | 0.21 | 0.92 | 14.18 |
3. | 56, 61, 268, 488 ◊ 198 | 0.20 | 0.92 | 13.88 |
4. | 56, 61, 133, 135 ◊ 77 | 0.19 | 0.92 | 13.41 |
5. | 56, 61, 77, 82 ◊ 137 | 0.19 | 0.92 | 12.81 |
Women | 1. | 270,4528,4534,4526,7192,4536,288,7212,360, 365,3504,4504,117 ◊ 7182 | 0.25 | 0.95 | 18.67 |
2. | 4538,7162,270,280,284,4528,4526,4532,3504, 4504,3503 ◊ 4602 | 0.23 | 0.94 | 16.07 |
3. | 4538,4528,4534,4526,5040,4536,360,365,7182, 5033 ◊ 5037 | 0.22 | 0.94 | 15.73 |
4. | 4538,7162,270,280,284,5040,4536,288,261,184 ◊ 4599 | 0.19 | 0.94 | 15.2 |
5. | 270,4528,7192,3504,4504,3503,261,4602,184 ◊ 268 | 0.18 | 0.94 | 14.52 |
Similarly, Young Adults demonstrate comparable commenting patterns to Teenagers, with few significant exceptions. During business hours, Young Adults exhibit a higher frequency of comments compared to Teenagers, as illustrated in table 3. Furthermore, Young Adults predominantly engage in discussions revolving around current affairs and personal or professional development, in contrast to Teenagers who show a greater interest in entertainment topics. Moreover, a smaller portion of Teenagers tends to focus on economic perspectives, such as personal growth. From Table 4, it becomes apparent that Young Adults exhibit a stronger dependence of itemsets in association rules on other itemsets, as evidenced by higher lift scores.
Table 5
Comment posting patterns with top-3 discussed topics based on different segments of a day using association rules with confidence > 90%
Age Group | Overall Time of Posted Comments | Top-3 Topic Categories of Discussion |
Morning | Business Time | Evening | Late Nights |
Teenagers | Low | Low | High | High | Showbiz, Social Issues, and Personal Life |
Young Adults | Low | Low | High | High | Current Events, Personal Development, and Showbiz |
Parents | High | Low | High | Low | Parenting Advice, Family Life, and Product Recommendations |
Feminists | – | Medium | High | High | Gender Equality, Women's Rights, and Intersectionality |
Men (30–50) | Low | Low | High | High | Career, Professional Development, and Hobbies |
Men (above 50) | High | Low | High | Low | Health, Retirement, and Travel |
Women (32–45) | Low | Low | High | High | Health, Family Life, and Personal Growth |
Women (46–57) | High | Low | High | Low | Health, Personal Growth, and Life Transitions |
Next, the Parents age group exhibits the second-highest lift and confidence scores, following the Women age group. Support serves as a metric that reveals the frequency or prevalence of an itemset or rule within a dataset. It aids in determining how frequently a particular itemset or rule appears in the dataset under analysis. Conversely, confidence serves as a measure of the reliability or strength of a rule. Thus, within the Parents and Women age groups, the itemsets in a rule display a stronger interdependency with other itemsets, indicating a higher level of validity for the association rules. However, it is worth noting that the Parents age group demonstrates a lower support count, suggesting a smaller number of influential users compared to other age groups with higher support counts, indicating a larger number of users influencing others to comment.
Finally, individuals within the Parents age group primarily engage in discussions encompassing topics such as family life, parenting advice, and valuable products. In contrast, Men under the age of 50 tend to focus more on career-oriented discussions compared to Men over the age of 50, who display a greater interest in health and recreation. Additionally, Women below the age of 45 demonstrate a stronger emphasis on individual and family-related matters, whereas Women above the age of 45 exhibit a predominant interest in personal growth, health, and life achievements. Regarding the Parents age group, their commenting behavior showcases authenticity and content quality. Thus, even with a lower number of posted comments, they still consist of influential users, although fewer as indicated by lower values of support. Conversely, the remaining age groups tend to have a higher volume of posted comments, indicating consistency and active participation. Research has demonstrated that influential social media users can attain their influential status based on content quality (Z. Z. Alp and Ş. G. Öğüdücü 2018) and consistency (S. Iqbal, H. U. Khan, U. Ishfaq, M. Alghobiri, and S. Iqbal 2021).