Using Social Network Analysis to Visualize the Social-Media Networks of Community Groups

Community participation in planning is generally considered crucial for the delivery of positive outcomes; however, the network structures that can be created by community groups that use social media and participate in the network are not widely understood. This paper explores the use of social media, specifically Twitter, by two community groups in Sydney. In the context of this study, community groups are self-created and organized groups of citizens that form to oppose a proposal to amend planning controls for a specific site. Employing the research technique of Social Network Analysis (SNA), this paper seeks to visualize community group social media networks, as well as understand who is connected and who is participating within the networks. For the two community groups investigated, it was found that they do not attract large numbers of friends and followers on Twitter and key stakeholders play a passive listening role in the networks.