socialdrift

socialdrift is an R package for building, auditing, and visualising temporal social interaction networks from raw event-log data.

Most existing tools start after the graph already exists. socialdrift takes you from a table of raw platform events (follows, replies, mentions, likes) all the way through to longitudinal diagnostics, community health reports, and inequality audits.

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Installation

# Install from GitHub (development version)
# install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("causalfragility-lab/socialdrift")

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Workflow at a glance

library(socialdrift)

# 1. Standardise event data
ev <- as_social_events(sim_social_events,
                       actor_group  = "actor_group",
                       target_group = "target_group")

# 2. Build monthly graph snapshots
gs <- build_graph_series(ev, window = "month")

# 3. Structural metrics
summarize_network_series(gs)

# 4. Network Drift Index
ndi <- network_drift(gs)
plot_network_drift(ndi)

# 5. Community dynamics
comm <- detect_communities_ts(gs)
community_fragmentation_index(comm)

# 6. User role trajectories
roles <- role_trajectories(gs)
plot_role_trajectories(roles)

# 7. Group disparity audit
audit_group_disparities(ev, gs)

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Signature indices

Index	Function	Description
NDI	network_drift()	How much did overall network structure change?
CFI	community_fragmentation_index()	Are communities becoming more siloed?
VCI	visibility_concentration_index()	Is attention concentrating on fewer actors?
RMI	role_mobility_index()	How often do users transition between roles?

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Structural user roles

Each node is assigned one of six interpretable roles per period:

Role	Description
isolated	No connections in this period
peripheral	Low degree, not a bridge
broadcaster	High out-degree, low in-degree
popular	High in-degree, low out-degree
core	High in- and out-degree
bridge	High betweenness centrality

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Example use cases

• Online learning communities --- Who becomes isolated? Are discussions clique-based?
• Social media platforms --- Is recommendation driving unequal visibility?
• Workplace collaboration --- Are teams siloing after a reorg?
• Educational peer networks --- Do minority students become more peripheral over time?

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Package modules

Module	Key functions
Data engineering	as_social_events(), build_graph_series()
Structural metrics	network_density_ts(), reciprocity_ts(), clustering_ts(), degree_inequality_ts()
Community dynamics	detect_communities_ts(), community_drift(), community_fragmentation_index()
Role trajectories	classify_user_roles(), role_trajectories(), role_mobility_index()
Drift & inequality	network_drift(), visibility_concentration_index(), audit_group_disparities()
Plotting	plot_network_metrics(), plot_network_drift(), plot_role_trajectories()

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Citation

@Manual{socialdrift,
  title  = {socialdrift: Temporal Auditing of Social Interaction Networks},
  author = {Subir Hait},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {R package version 0.1.0},
}

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License

GPL-3 (c) Subir Hait