Analysis of evolution of movies using massive movie-tag meme network data

Abstract

Cultural creations such as movies can be said to be the products of the times, influenced by successful predecessors and in turn influencing those that come afterwards. In this work we use network science and computational social science-inspired methods to analyze a large-scale data set of movies focusing on how they have changed and evolved over time using a comprehensive movie-meme association data to construct the network of movies that form the timeline of the history of cinema via the evolution of genres, and the rise and fall of prominent sub-genres. We also identify the impactful movies that were harbingers to popular memes that dominate a given period of time and from which certain genres form and grow. Finally, we measure how the impact of movies correlates with the experts' and the public's assessment to understand the conditions for success and further development. We believe this work showcases how network science can be used to understand the evolution of important components of society.