Waiting for a Retweet : Modeling Waiting Times in Information Propagation

Social media are increasingly used to disseminate emergency warnings, alerts, and other hazard-related information. In this context, the timing of information propagation is of immediate interest. Time-sensitive information must reach members of the general public before the pertinence of the information expires. In this research we build a preliminary model for the time between information dissemination and redistribution on Twitter, i.e. the waiting time of a retweet. We explore the relationship between this time and features about the users involved, the external context, and the message itself. Results suggest shorter waiting times for hazard-related content.