Visualizar redes y descubrir significados en Twitter mediante la utilización del software NodeXL / Visualizing and uncovering meaning in Twitter networks using NodeXL

This study employs Social Network Analysis (SNA) to visualise Twitter-based discourse networks and uncover latent semantic clusters around a specific media controversy in Andoain, Spain, during the 2019 Three Kings parade. Using NodeXL, a powerful open-source tool for social media mining, the authors extracted and analysed 3,447 nodes and 3,645 edges related to tweets over a one-week period. The analysis identified central actors—including political figures—and prominent clusters expressing racist and political sentiment, particularly triggered by the racial identity of the character Baltasar. The research provides insights into network centrality, actor influence, and semantic associations derived from hashtags and tweet content. The study underscores the importance of visualisation for identifying key communication dynamics in politically charged social media events and highlights how networked public discourse evolves around symbolic, controversial events. By integrating visual analytics with discourse interpretation, this work contributes to fields such as political communication, media studies, and digital sociology. Furthermore, it demonstrates the methodological relevance of SNA in examining polarised debates and the role of influential users in shaping online narratives.