Thread by @marcowenjones

📢🧵[Thread] 1/ Here is a thread on the #DoNotComply hashtag, a Twitter trend that started yesterday in reaction to the UK's response to the new Covid19 variant #Omicron. Essentially it is people rejecting the mandatory wearing of masks in public. I will highlight some nuggets...

2/ First up, I analysed around 17,500 tweets, replies, & retweets on the #donotcomply hashtag. The sample range is the last 24 hours. I did a network analysis to determine a few things, most importantly, identifying the most influential proponents of the 'do not comply' hashtag

3/ There is clear evidence of polarisation. There are two distinct clusters. On the right there is a large group of accounts generally condoning the #donotcomply hashtag. The group on the left is disappointed at the group on the right (pun kind of intended...you'll see why)

4/ So who are the largest supporters of #donotcomply? Well the most influential by far is @LozzaFox , actor and @thereclaimparty leader. He does not wish to comply, and endorses mass civil disobedience. He also seems mad.

5/ Other top influencers on the do not comply hashtag include @jamesfwells @MattGubba @leehurstcomic . One of my favourites is @HumanRights4UK (the state of that account!) A lot of the influential accounts also are kind of anonymous, which is obviously suspicious. #Omicron

6/ Of those most influential accounts pushing back against the hashtag are @Femi_Sorry @JackSapsford @paul_baro - and a few others, including parody account @borisjohnson_mp #donotcomply

7/ Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, the polarisation looks highly partisan. An analysis of the bios of those promoting #donotcomply reveals they are mostly right wing nationalists. The top words include indicators Trump, MAGA, conservative, god, country #omicron

8/ Conversely, most of those pushing back against #donotcomply appear to having indicators of being left/progressive/liberal. Among the most common words in the bios are BLM (black lives matter), FBPE (pro EU), socialist, johnsonout (UK PM). This correlates with studies that

9/ that also suggest republicans are more likely to embrace anti vaccine disinformation than democrats, for example. Not exactly the same but related. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…

10/ So we can update the network graph to show how the polarisation is reflected on Twitter. This polarization shows in network analysis because the two communities (left and right) tend not to interact with each other and so form separate communities. #donotcomply #Omicron

11/ Some other high profile verified accounts endorsing undermining the public health message include UB40's @MattHoyOfficial debunked nutritionist @GillianMcKeith , GBNews Presenter @ToniaBuxton + many more . No eminent researchers or scientists of course. Go figure.

12/ The TLDR is those supporting the #donotcomply with mask wearing are not scientists, and generally right-wing/conservative types. There is push back from left/progressive types, but very little interaction between the two. The echo chamber is strong! Thanks for reading :)

13/ Small update
1) Some have asked about the orange blob on the map - this is George Gammon (😬). See screenshot
2) I used NodeXl and gephi for the visualisations
3) I didn't mean to imply those condemning the hashtag are scientists, merely that they're following the science!