Mohamad Hoseini

Mohamad Hoseini

Address: Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik
Saarland Informatics Campus
Campus E1 4
66123 Saarbrücken
Location: E1 4 - 509
Phone: +49 681 9325 0
Fax: +49 681 9325 3599
E-mail: Get email via email

Personal Information

I am a PhD student at Internet Architecture group at Max Planck Institute for Informatics. My primary research interest is in the area of online social networks with a special focus on investigating, identifying, and analyzing privacy leaks and viral spreading of fake news.

Publications

2023

Hoseini, M., Melo, P., Benevenuto, F., Feldmann, A., & Zannettou, S. (2023). On the Globalization of the QAnon Conspiracy Theory Through Telegram. In WebSci ’23, 15th ACM Web Science Conference. Austin, TX, USA: ACM. doi:10.1145/3578503.3583603

Abstract

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that became popular and mainstream over the past few years. Worryingly, the QAnon conspiracy theory has implications in the real world, with supporters of the theory participating in real-world violent acts like the US capitol attack in 2021. At the same time, the QAnon theory started evolving into a global phenomenon by attracting followers across the globe and, in particular, in Europe. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how the QAnon theory became a worldwide phenomenon and how this dissemination has been happening in the online space. This paper performs a large-scale data analysis of QAnon through Telegram by collecting 4.5M messages posted in 161 QAnon groups/channels. Using Google's Perspective API, we analyze the toxicity of QAnon content across languages and over time. Also, using a BERT-based topic modeling approach, we analyze the QAnon discourse across multiple languages. Among other things, we find that the German language is prevalent in QAnon groups/channels on Telegram, even overshadowing English after 2020. Also, we find that content posted in German and Portuguese tends to be more toxic compared to English. Our topic modeling indicates that QAnon supporters discuss various topics of interest within far-right movements, including world politics, conspiracy theories, COVID-19, and the anti-vaccination movement. Taken all together, we perform the first multilingual study on QAnon through Telegram and paint a nuanced overview of the globalization of the QAnon theory.

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BibTeX

@inproceedings{HoseiniWebSci23, TITLE = {On the Globalization of the {QAnon} Conspiracy Theory Through {Telegram}}, AUTHOR = {Hoseini, Mohamad and Melo, Philipe and Benevenuto, Fabricio and Feldmann, Anja and Zannettou, Savvas}, LANGUAGE = {eng}, ISBN = {979-8-4007-0089-7}, DOI = {10.1145/3578503.3583603}, PUBLISHER = {ACM}, YEAR = {2023}, MARGINALMARK = {$\bullet$}, DATE = {2023}, ABSTRACT = {QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that became popular and mainstream over the past few years. Worryingly, the QAnon conspiracy theory has implications in the real world, with supporters of the theory participating in real-world violent acts like the US capitol attack in 2021. At the same time, the QAnon theory started evolving into a global phenomenon by attracting followers across the globe and, in particular, in Europe. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how the QAnon theory became a worldwide phenomenon and how this dissemination has been happening in the online space. This paper performs a large-scale data analysis of QAnon through Telegram by collecting 4.5M messages posted in 161 QAnon groups/channels. Using Google's Perspective API, we analyze the toxicity of QAnon content across languages and over time. Also, using a BERT-based topic modeling approach, we analyze the QAnon discourse across multiple languages. Among other things, we find that the German language is prevalent in QAnon groups/channels on Telegram, even overshadowing English after 2020. Also, we find that content posted in German and Portuguese tends to be more toxic compared to English. Our topic modeling indicates that QAnon supporters discuss various topics of interest within far-right movements, including world politics, conspiracy theories, COVID-19, and the anti-vaccination movement. Taken all together, we perform the first multilingual study on QAnon through Telegram and paint a nuanced overview of the globalization of the QAnon theory. }, BOOKTITLE = {WebSci '23, 15th ACM Web Science Conference}, PAGES = {75--85}, ADDRESS = {Austin, TX, USA}, }

Endnote

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Hoseini, Mohamad %A Melo, Philipe %A Benevenuto, Fabricio %A Feldmann, Anja %A Zannettou, Savvas %+ Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society External Organizations External Organizations Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society External Organizations %T On the Globalization of the QAnon Conspiracy Theory Through Telegram : %G eng %U http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0009-749D-4 %R 10.1145/3578503.3583603 %D 2023 %B 15th ACM Web Science Conference %Z date of event: 2023-04-30 - 2023-05-01 %C Austin, TX, USA %X QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that became popular and mainstream over the past few years. Worryingly, the QAnon conspiracy theory has implications in the real world, with supporters of the theory participating in real-world violent acts like the US capitol attack in 2021. At the same time, the QAnon theory started evolving into a global phenomenon by attracting followers across the globe and, in particular, in Europe. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how the QAnon theory became a worldwide phenomenon and how this dissemination has been happening in the online space. This paper performs a large-scale data analysis of QAnon through Telegram by collecting 4.5M messages posted in 161 QAnon groups/channels. Using Google's Perspective API, we analyze the toxicity of QAnon content across languages and over time. Also, using a BERT-based topic modeling approach, we analyze the QAnon discourse across multiple languages. Among other things, we find that the German language is prevalent in QAnon groups/channels on Telegram, even overshadowing English after 2020. Also, we find that content posted in German and Portuguese tends to be more toxic compared to English. Our topic modeling indicates that QAnon supporters discuss various topics of interest within far-right movements, including world politics, conspiracy theories, COVID-19, and the anti-vaccination movement. Taken all together, we perform the first multilingual study on QAnon through Telegram and paint a nuanced overview of the globalization of the QAnon theory. %K Computer Science, Computers and Society, cs.CY,cs.SI %B WebSci '23 %P 75 - 85 %I ACM %@ 979-8-4007-0089-7

2021

Sheikhi, H., Hoseini, M., & Sabaei, M. (2021). k-Connected Relay Node Deployment in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks. Wireless Personal Communications, 120. doi:10.1007/s11277-021-08613-x

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@article{Sheikhi2021, TITLE = {{k}-Connected Relay Node Deployment in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks}, AUTHOR = {Sheikhi, Hemmat and Hoseini, Mohamad and Sabaei, Masoud}, LANGUAGE = {eng}, DOI = {10.1007/s11277-021-08613-x}, PUBLISHER = {Springer}, ADDRESS = {New York, NY}, YEAR = {2021}, MARGINALMARK = {$\bullet$}, DATE = {2021}, JOURNAL = {Wireless Personal Communications}, VOLUME = {120}, PAGES = {3277--3292}, }

Endnote

%0 Journal Article %A Sheikhi, Hemmat %A Hoseini, Mohamad %A Sabaei, Masoud %+ External Organizations Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society External Organizations %T k-Connected Relay Node Deployment in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks : %G eng %U http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0008-D8F0-5 %R 10.1007/s11277-021-08613-x %7 2021 %D 2021 %J Wireless Personal Communications %V 120 %& 3277 %P 3277 - 3292 %I Springer %C New York, NY %U https://rdcu.be/c3bKO

2020

Hoseini, M., Melo, P., Júnior, M., Benevenuto, F., Chandrasekaran, B., Feldmann, A., & Zannettou, S. (2020). Demystifying the Messaging Platforms’ Ecosystem Through the Lens of Twitter. In IMC ’20, 20th ACM Internet Measurement Conference. Virtual Event, USA: ACM. doi:10.1145/3419394.3423651

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BibTeX

@inproceedings{Hoseini_IMC2020, TITLE = {Demystifying the Messaging Platforms' Ecosystem Through the Lens of {Twitter}}, AUTHOR = {Hoseini, Mohamad and Melo, Philipe and J{\'u}nior, Manoel and Benevenuto, Fabr{\'i}cio and Chandrasekaran, Balakrishnan and Feldmann, Anja and Zannettou, Savvas}, LANGUAGE = {eng}, ISBN = {9-781-4503-8138-3}, DOI = {10.1145/3419394.3423651}, PUBLISHER = {ACM}, YEAR = {2020}, DATE = {2020}, BOOKTITLE = {IMC '20, 20th ACM Internet Measurement Conference}, PAGES = {345--359}, ADDRESS = {Virtual Event, USA}, }

Endnote

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Hoseini, Mohamad %A Melo, Philipe %A Júnior, Manoel %A Benevenuto, Fabrício %A Chandrasekaran, Balakrishnan %A Feldmann, Anja %A Zannettou, Savvas %+ Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society External Organizations External Organizations External Organizations Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society %T Demystifying the Messaging Platforms' Ecosystem Through the Lens of Twitter : %G eng %U http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-8542-8 %R 10.1145/3419394.3423651 %D 2020 %B 20th ACM Internet Measurement Conference %Z date of event: 2020-10-27 - 2020-10-29 %C Virtual Event, USA %B IMC '20 %P 345 - 359 %I ACM %@ 9-781-4503-8138-3

2019

Hoseini, M., Saghafi, F., & Aghayi, E. (2019). A Multidimensional Model of Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Mobile Social Networks. Kybernetes, 48(5). doi:10.1108/K-07-2017-0249

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@article{Hoseini2019, TITLE = {A Multidimensional Model of Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Mobile Social Networks}, AUTHOR = {Hoseini, Mohamad and Saghafi, Fatemeh and Aghayi, Emad}, LANGUAGE = {eng}, ISSN = {0368-492X}, DOI = {10.1108/K-07-2017-0249}, PUBLISHER = {Emerald}, ADDRESS = {Bradford}, YEAR = {2019}, DATE = {2019}, JOURNAL = {Kybernetes}, VOLUME = {48}, NUMBER = {5}, PAGES = {906--929}, }

Endnote

%0 Journal Article %A Hoseini, Mohamad %A Saghafi, Fatemeh %A Aghayi, Emad %+ Internet Architecture, MPI for Informatics, Max Planck Society External Organizations External Organizations %T A Multidimensional Model of Knowledge Sharing Behavior in Mobile Social Networks : %G eng %U http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0003-D41E-D %R 10.1108/K-07-2017-0249 %7 2019 %D 2019 %J Kybernetes %V 48 %N 5 %& 906 %P 906 - 929 %I Emerald %C Bradford %@ false

Previous publications

2014

Fathian, M., Hosseini, M. (2014). Investigating the impact of virtual communities on furtherance of customers’ buying behavior. Journal of information technology management, 6(3), 435-454.

Research Interests

Social media analysis
Big data analysis on online social networks
Computational Social Science

Teachings

At MPI / UdS:
Winter 2018, Summer 2020: Data Networks (Tutor/Teaching Assistant)

At Kermanshah University of Technology:
September 2012 – February 2018: Information Technology courses

Recent Positions

June 2018 - current
Research Assistant, at Max Planck Institute for Informatics

September 2012 – February 2018
Lecturer at Kermanshah University of Technology

Education

July 2018 - present:
Ph. D. student in Computer Science at the Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany and the Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik

September 2009 - March 2012:
M.Sc. in Information Technology at Iran University of Science and Technology, Iran.

September 2004 - July 2009:
B.Sc. in Information Technology Engineering at Shiraz University of Technology, Iran.