Processing and

Visualizing Data:
Influence Maximization,
Link Prediction, and
Collective Classification
in Advertising & Game
Analytics
What is Influence Maximization?

Influence Maximization is the strategic process of identifying

the most influential individuals or nodes within a network.
The primary goal is to maximize the spread of information,
products, or ideas through a community.

It's a critical concept across various fields, including viral

marketing, effective recommendation systems, and
impactful social campaigns.

A key challenge lies in selecting the optimal "seed" nodes

before the network evolves, known as the ex ante setting.
Link Prediction: Forecasting Network
Evolution
Link prediction focuses on forecasting future connections between nodes in a network. This is achieved by
analyzing existing data and historical network patterns.

Techniques Utilized Strategic Advantage

Advanced methods include statistical models, Anticipating network changes allows for more
non-negative matrix factorization, and cutting- effective influence maximization strategies,
edge graph neural networks. adapting to evolving relationships.
Collective Classification: Leveraging Network Structure
Collective classification is a powerful technique that classifies nodes within a network by considering both their individual attributes and the
labels of their neighboring nodes.

Enhanced Accuracy Understanding Dynamics

This method significantly improves the accuracy of identifying It's particularly essential for gaining deeper insights into group
influential users or understanding complex behavioral patterns dynamics in large-scale social networks and interactive gaming
within networks. environments.
Influence Maximization on Temporal Networks: The Ex Ante
Challenge

In real-world scenarios, decisions to select seed nodes for influence campaigns must often be made with only past network snapshots available. This is the core of
the "ex ante" challenge in dynamic networks.

Static vs. Dynamic 1

Traditional methods rely on static network views, missing crucial
temporal evolution.

2 Predictive Power
Recent studies demonstrate that influence spread can reach 87% of
optimal by utilizing predicted future links.
Superior Performance 3
Link prediction-based heuristics consistently outperform traditional
static methods, providing a significant edge in dynamic environments.
Case Study: Link Prediction-Based Influence
Maximization Framework (LPINT)
The LPINT framework represents a significant advancement in managing influence on dynamic networks. It leverages
sophisticated techniques to predict and track influential nodes effectively.

LPINT uses conditional temporal Restricted Boltzmann Machines

(tRBMs) to accurately predict future network snapshots.

This allows for efficient tracking of influential nodes, even as

social networks continuously evolve.

Research has shown LPINT delivers superior influence coverage

and faster spread rates on large-scale, real-world datasets.
Application in Advertising: Targeting the Right Influencers

Identifying Core Users

1 Pinpoint seed users who can maximize product
adoption or ensure a message achieves viral spread.

Dynamic Strategy
2 Adaptive strategies, fueled by link prediction and
collective classification, are crucial for navigating
dynamic networks.

Viral Campaign Example

Imagine social media campaigns that seamlessly adjust
3
to evolving user connections, ensuring truly viral reach
and impact.
Application in Game Analytics: Enhancing
Player Engagement
Leveraging network science in game analytics provides powerful tools to boost player engagement and
community growth.

Influential Players Optimized Behavioral

Detecting influential players Matchmaking Segmentation
who can drive in-game Predicting emerging social Collective classification
events, foster community, or ties helps optimize enables advanced player
create new trends. multiplayer matchmaking segmentation based on
and tailor promotional behavior and influence
efforts effectively. patterns, leading to
personalized experiences.
Cutting-Edge Optimization: Moth-Flame
Algorithm for Influence Maximization
The Moth-Flame Optimization (MFO) algorithm is

3.14% 12.2%
a novel metaheuristic inspired by the navigation
behavior of moths around a flame. Applied to
influence maximization, it offers significant
advancements.
Accuracy Increase Faster Execution
Improved influence Quicker processing and
It substantially improves accuracy in
spread accuracy over decision-making
identifying optimal seed sets while reducing
prior methods. capabilities.
computation time.

The MFO scales efficiently to large social

networks, enabling real-time decision-making
for dynamic campaigns.
Conclusion: Harnessing Network Science for Real-World
Impact
By synergizing influence maximization, link prediction, and collective classification, we unlock unparalleled insights into complex data.

Powerful Insights Smarter Strategies

Revealing hidden connections and dynamic Crafting effective advertising and game
patterns. analytics campaigns.

Future Directions Dynamic Adaptability

Integrating GNNs and real-time adaptive Thriving in constantly evolving network
models for next-gen solutions. environments.

Transforming Data into Actionable Influence and Engagement!

Introduction to Python
Programming:
Collecting & Analyzing
Social Media Data
Why Social Media Data Matters
Social media platforms are not just for connection; they are goldmines of public data.

Vast Data Streams Unlocking Insights Python's Power

Over 58% of the global Businesses and researchers Python is the premier
population uses social media leverage this data to language for extracting,
daily, generating billions of understand consumer trends, cleaning, and analyzing this
data points and conversations public sentiment, and identify complex, unstructured social
every hour. influential voices. media data efficiently.
Setting Up Your Python Environment
Getting started requires setting up the right tools for data handling, analysis, and visualization.

Essential Libraries
Install pandas for robust data handling, Matplotlib for plotting,
NetworkX for graph analysis, and specific APIs like VADER
Sentiment and PRAW.

Installing Packages
Use `pip` to install: pip install pandas matplotlib
networkx vaderSentiment praw.

Interactive
Exploration
Leverage Jupyter Notebooks for an interactive coding
experience, perfect for data science workflows.
Collecting Social Media Data with Python
Directly accessing social media platforms requires leveraging their Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Accessing APIs 1
Utilize platform-specific libraries like Tweepy for Twitter's
API and PRAW for Reddit's API to ensure authentic data
extraction.
2 Authentication
OAuth2 is crucial for secure, authorized access to user data.
Obtain your developer credentials and API keys.
Practical Example 3
Extract recent posts and comments from specific subreddits,
such as Reddit’s r/smartwatch, to gather real-world textual
data.
Cleaning and Preparing Data
Raw social media data is often messy and requires meticulous preparation before analysis can begin.

1 2 3

Handling Imperfections Text Normalization Structuring Data

Address missing values, remove Transform raw text by lowercasing, Organize content effectively,
duplicates, and standardize removing punctuation, and categorizing posts by topic,
inconsistent formats using pandas tokenization (breaking text into hashtag, or user to facilitate deeper
functions. words) for consistent processing. analytical queries.
Analyzing Social Media Content
Once clean, Python's powerful libraries enable deep dives into the meaning and
relationships within your social media data.

Sentiment Analysis
Use tools like VADER to automatically score the emotional tone (positivity, negativity,
neutrality) of posts and comments.

Topic Modeling
Employ Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to discover the underlying
themes and subjects users frequently discuss.

Network Analysis
Map relationships between users or entities using NetworkX to identify key influencers
and community structures.
Visualizing Insights for Impact

Compelling visualizations transform complex data findings into clear, actionable stories, making your analysis
accessible to all.

Through plotting tools like Matplotlib, you can bring

your social media data to life:

Plotting engagement trends across various

categories or over time.

Visualizing social networks, where nodes represent

users and edges illustrate interactions like mentions
or replies.

Creating heatmaps of sentiment scores to identify

emotional peaks or geographic maps revealing tweet
origins.

These visuals provide immediate understanding and highlight critical patterns.

 Real-World Example: Twitter Likes by
Category
A practical application of social media data analysis to understand content performance.
Best Practices & Challenges

Navigating the landscape of social media data requires careful consideration of both opportunities and potential pitfalls.

Ethical Considerations

Prioritize user privacy, obtain data consent

where necessary, and be mindful of inherent bias
in social media datasets.

Data Volume Management

Effectively manage API rate limits and the sheer

volume of data, which can quickly become
overwhelming.
Your Next Steps with Python & Social Media
Data
Empower yourself to become a skilled social media data analyst.

1 Start Small & Explore

Begin by collecting and analyzing data from a platform you frequently use or are
curious about. Practical experience is invaluable.

2 Visualize Your Narratives

Experiment extensively with various visualization techniques to tell compelling
stories that resonate with your audience.

3 Drive Strategy
Apply your insights to inform marketing campaigns, academic research, or
strategic product development decisions.

Key Resources:
Christine Egan’s NetworkX tutorials for graph analysis.
DataCamp’s social media analysis course for structured learning.
Explore GitHub projects for real-world code examples and practice.