Social Web Analysis for Decision Support: A Case Study

In this study, we focused on analyzing customer-generated data on Facebook to explore how textual content on a social web can provide valuable information for decision support. To accomplish this goal, we used several techniques that included social network analysis (SNA), natural language processing (NLP), data mining (DM), and machine learning (ML), integrating them with artificial intelligence approaches. Our analysis aimed to harness the information generated during the Volkswagen pollutant emissions situation in a case study that was conducted using the textual content from 10,642 posts, that represented the interactions of 25,877 users over a span of twenty-two weeks. The results demonstrated that monitoring online social networks (OSNs) can significantly enhance decision-making processes and might help to mitigate potential damages to brands/businesses. By leveraging the proposed methodological approach, a set of orientations for decision-making was extracted, providing valuable guidance for brand management and reputation protection. Overall, this study highlights the importance of analyzing textual content on OSNs and leveraging advanced computational techniques to improve decision support.