Setting the clock: Evaluating temporal window parameters for coordinated behavior detection

2026-09-18

AI Summary

研究通过调整时间窗口长度和步幅来优化社交媒体上协调行为的检测，发现窗口长度对检测模式有显著影响，而步幅的影响较小。

Abstract

Coordinated behavior is a central mechanism of online collective action. On social media platforms, it can support legitimate mobilization, but it can also be exploited in disinformation campaigns, astroturfing, and information operations. Detecting coordinated behavior on social media platforms typically relies on coordination networks, where users are linked when they perform similar actions within shared temporal windows. While the temporal window is central to how coordination is operationalized, it is often treated as an implementation detail rather than as a substantive modeling decision. This paper presents a first analysis of how two key temporal parameters, window length and stride, affect the detection of coordinated communities within information operation campaigns. We find that window length determines which coordination patterns are detectable, while window stride has negligible effect on precision and recall. Our analysis highlights selecting appropriate temporal window parameters as an open methodological challenge requiring careful treatment.

Problem

• temporal window parameters
• coordinated behavior detection
• social media platforms

Innovation

• temporal window
• coordination detection
• social media
• information operations
• window parameters