# User Archetypes and Information Dynamics on Telegram: COVID-19 and Climate Change Discourse in Singapore

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.06717 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.06717/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 10 Jun 2024.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [From Wearables to Warnings: Predicting Pain Spikes in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.19577/) (2025)
- [Belief Is All You Need: Modeling Narrative Archetypes in Conspiratorial Discourse](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.10105/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Social media platforms, particularly Telegram, play a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions and opinions on global and national issues. Unlike traditional news media, Telegram allows for the proliferation of user-generated content with minimal oversight, making it a significant venue for the spread of controversial and misinformative content. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Telegram's popularity surged in Singapore, a country with one of the highest rates of social media use globally. We leverage Singapore-based Telegram data to analyze information flows within groups focused on COVID-19 and climate change. Using k-means clustering, we identified distinct user archetypes, including Strategic Disruptor, Empirical Enthusiast, Inquisitive Moderate, and Critical Examiner, each contributing uniquely to the discourse. We developed a model to classify users into these clusters (Precision: Climate change: 0.99; COVID-19: 0.95).