Social networking sites are radically transforming the way we communicate and relate to each other. They facilitate timely information... Show moreSocial networking sites are radically transforming the way we communicate and relate to each other. They facilitate timely information exchange and give us unprecedented access to numerous sources of information on a myriad of topics. Although the information is available, there are a number of challenges that inhibit utilization of this information: Social Networks have a great volume of messages that the user must sift through to find relevant ones, messages are frequently repetitive, the information is not organized topically, and there is little context information. The information consumer (user) must take on many of the tasks traditionally performed by the information producer to get a “big picture” understanding of the topic. This thesis introduces a framework for an automated information gathering and organization system to facilitate the information consumer’s comprehension of a given topic. The framework addresses two primary components: the user interface for the system and identification of sub-topics. The framework was implemented as a research platform designed to bring these two components together and support future research in the domain. PH.D in Computer Science, May 2013 Show less
