Ussama Yaqub, Tauqeer Saleem and Salma Zaman
The purpose of this paper is to explore the reaction of Pakistani citizens toward online privacy in the context of the Pakistan Government's COVID-19 app privacy breach.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the reaction of Pakistani citizens toward online privacy in the context of the Pakistan Government's COVID-19 app privacy breach.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors implemented supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods, that is, topic modeling and sentiment analysis on Google app store user review data.
Findings
There was no visible concern shown by the citizens toward the COVID-19 app privacy breach, even though it was well highlighted in the news. Other studies have also indicated that concern for online privacy remains low in developing countries, which aligns with the findings of this paper.
Originality/value
Globally COVID-19 apps have been a cause of concern in terms of public privacy. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first in the Pakistani context to show the impact of a well-document privacy breach of a government COVID-19 app.
Details
Keywords
Tauqeer Saleem, Ussama Yaqub and Salma Zaman
The present study distinguishes itself by pioneering an innovative framework that integrates key elements of prospect theory and the fundamental principles of electronic word of…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study distinguishes itself by pioneering an innovative framework that integrates key elements of prospect theory and the fundamental principles of electronic word of mouth (EWOM) to forecast Bitcoin/USD price fluctuations using Twitter sentiment analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
We utilized Twitter data as our primary data source. We meticulously collected a dataset consisting of over 3 million tweets spanning a nine-year period, from 2013 to 2022, covering a total of 3,215 days with an average daily tweet count of 1,000. The tweets were identified by utilizing the “bitcoin” and/or “btc” keywords through the snscrape python library. Diverging from conventional approaches, we introduce four distinct variables, encompassing normalized positive and negative sentiment scores as well as sentiment variance. These refinements markedly enhance sentiment analysis within the sphere of financial risk management.
Findings
Our findings highlight the substantial impact of negative sentiments in driving Bitcoin price declines, in contrast to the role of positive sentiments in facilitating price upswings. These results underscore the critical importance of continuous, real-time monitoring of negative sentiment shifts within the cryptocurrency market.
Practical implications
Our study holds substantial significance for both risk managers and investors, providing a crucial tool for well-informed decision-making in the cryptocurrency market. The implications drawn from our study hold notable relevance for financial risk management.
Originality/value
We present an innovative framework combining prospect theory and core principles of EWOM to predict Bitcoin price fluctuations through analysis of Twitter sentiment. Unlike conventional methods, we incorporate distinct positive and negative sentiment scores instead of relying solely on a single compound score. Notably, our pioneering sentiment analysis framework dissects sentiment into separate positive and negative components, advancing our comprehension of market sentiment dynamics. Furthermore, it equips financial institutions and investors with a more detailed and actionable insight into the risks associated not only with Bitcoin but also with other assets influenced by sentiment-driven market dynamics.
Details
Keywords
Salma Zaman, Ussama Yaqub and Tauqeer Saleem
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of Elon Musk’s Twitter bio change on January 29, 2021 on the discourse around Bitcoin (BTC) on Twitter and to understand how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of Elon Musk’s Twitter bio change on January 29, 2021 on the discourse around Bitcoin (BTC) on Twitter and to understand how these changes relate to the changes in Bitcoin price around that time.
Design/methodology/approach
This study implements sentiment analysis and text mining on Twitter data to explore changes in public sentiments toward Bitcoin after Elon Musk’s Twitter bio change. Furthermore, it uses Bitcoin price data obtained from the Binance exchange to understand its relation with Twitter discussion.
Findings
Elon Musk’s bio change on Twitter on January 29 increased the tweet volume mentioning Bitcoin. This increase in tweets had a strong positive correlation with Bitcoin price and preceded the rise in Bitcoin price. Although the bio change had an apparent effect on the tweet volume, there was no considerable effect on the tweet sentiments, indicating that tweet sentiment is a poor predictor of Bitcoin price.
Originality/value
This paper proposes an understanding of how social media influencers, like Elon Musk, affect the discourse around Bitcoin and can, in turn, have an impact on Bitcoin price.