Research
At ARCAICO, our research focuses on understanding how technology, information, and power shape society. We combine social science, data analysis, and artificial intelligence to study contemporary social problems, particularly those emerging from digital platforms, media ecosystems, and algorithmic systems.
Our work aims to make hidden structures of influence visible, promote critical thinking, and contribute to more equitable and democratic information environments.
Social Media, Data Mining & Collective Behaviour
We study how social media platforms shape public opinion, political narratives, and collective behavior through data-driven analysis.
Using data mining, network analysis, and computational methods, we examine:
How information spreads across platforms such as X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
The role of algorithms in amplifying certain voices while silencing others
The formation of online echo chambers and polarization
The emergence of coordinated disinformation campaigns
Patterns of influence among media outlets, political actors, and digital communities
Our goal is not only to describe these phenomena, but to understand the mechanisms behind them and provide tools that help citizens, journalists, and organizations navigate the digital information landscape more critically.
ARCAICO develops methods to identify automated accounts, coordinated networks, and artificial amplification in digital spaces. Our work includes:
Detecting social media bots and synthetic accounts
Mapping coordinated influence networks
Studying how automation distorts public debate
Analyzing how political actors or organizations use digital manipulation
Building tools to help journalists and citizens recognize inauthentic behavior
Systemic Racism, Technology & Inequality
ARCAICO is committed to investigating how digital systems can reproduce and sometimes intensify existing social inequalities.
Our research explores questions such as:
How racial bias can emerge in algorithms, data sets, and AI systems
How social media narratives reinforce or challenge systemic racism
How marginalized communities are represented in digital media
The relationship between technology, surveillance, and racialized policing
How online discourse reflects broader historical patterns of discrimination
How economic systems shape opportunity and mobility
Differences in access to healthcare, education, and resources
How public policies reduce — or reinforce — inequality
Comparative analysis of welfare systems and social safety nets
Rather than treating racism as only an individual attitude, we analyze it as a structural phenomenon embedded in institutions, media, and technology.
By combining qualitative social analysis with quantitative data methods, we aim to contribute to more just and inclusive digital spaces.
Media, Algorithms & Democracy
A central concern of our research is the relationship between media systems, algorithms, and democratic life.
We investigate:
Who controls major media platforms and news outlets
How algorithms prioritize sensationalism over accuracy
How digital platforms influence elections and political participation
The economic incentives behind misinformation and polarization
This line of work is closely connected to projects such as Prensa Inteligente (prensainteligente.com), which analyzes news ecosystems using data science and AI to reveal patterns of bias, ownership concentration, and narrative framing.
Public Health, Environment & Data
ARCAICO investigates how environmental conditions, public infrastructure, and social systems interact to shape population health. We approach public health not only as a medical issue, but as a data, environmental, and political problem, where policy decisions, resource management, and technology directly affect people’s wellbeing.
By integrating open data, geographic analysis, and computational methods, we aim to uncover hidden relationships between the environment, public systems, and health outcomes. Our goal is to transform publicly available data into actionable knowledge that can inform communities, researchers, journalists, and policymakers.
Our research in this area includes:
How factors such as water quality, air pollution, soil composition, and climate patterns influence disease incidence and overall wellbeing.
How urban design, industrial activity, transportation systems, and green space distribution affect respiratory diseases, stress levels, and general health across different communities.
How access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and environmental protections varies across regions and social groups — and how these differences contribute to health disparities.
How changing environmental conditions are altering disease distribution, heat-related illnesses, and vulnerability in different populations.
how poverty, housing conditions, employment stability, education, migration patterns, and access to healthcare are associated with health outcomes across different communities.
Through this work, ARCAICO seeks to bridge the gap between environmental data, public health statistics, and social justice — demonstrating that health is deeply connected to how societies manage their natural resources and public systems.
