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We study the evolution of long-lived controversial debates as manifested on Twitter from 2011 to 2016. Specifically, we explore how the structure of interactions and content of discussion varies with the level of collective attention, as evidenced by the number of users discussing a topic. Spikes in the volume of users typically correspond to external events that increase the public attention on the topic - as, for instance, discussions about 'gun control' often erupt after a mass shooting.
Garimella et al. (Sun,) studied this question.