Scientific impact: Scientific impact is determined according to the project capability to impact on scientific production and knowledge sharing.
Impact on science and academia: 11 papers have been submitted in scientific journals.
Impact on knowledge production: The Observatory reached 100 members from 23 European countries and 8 countries outside Europe. Out of 100 members, 23 have been the most engaged. These 23 members produced 19 collaborative investigations strengthening the collaboration between researchers and fact-checkers and 7 individual investigations.
Impact on knowledge sharing: Considering all events attended by SOMA partners, 42 is the final number where the project has been disseminated. Events coverage has been wide considering that events have been attended inside and outside Europe. Also, three centers of excellence have been created to disseminate information and knowledge against disinformation.
Impact on data access for scientific purposes: In terms of data access for scientific purposes, SOMA achieved to provide data access to Facebook data through Crowd Tangle API for researchers and fact checkers.
Technological impact
Impact on the use of technology: This sub-category is related to the technology provision to users for navigating information against disinformation. First of all, 110 active members used the platform adopted by SOMA. Moreover, the SOMA project allowed the extend of the Truly Media platform adding tools and features directly accessible to users to fight disinformation.
Impact on technological tools: In relation to the second sub-category, SOMA has allowed to produce three new technological tools and one algorithm. The tools have been directly integrated into the Truly Media platform, while the algorithm has been published in a scientific journal and also in Bitbucket, an Open-Source repository.
Political impact
Impact on policy and institutions: The project allowed to create a bridge among the EC and the social media platform having an impact on terms of policies for data access. Indeed, as anticipated, SOMA succeeded in gaining access to CrowdTangle to get data for scientific purposes. Moreover, papers based on SOMA research have been disseminated to the EC to provide almost real time information on covid 19 and 5G, trying to inform the EC on those relevant aspects.
Impact on civic and political participation: In relation to the impact on civic and political participation, SOMA allowed members to improve their own capability to participate in the political debate through more correct information.
