Described is system and method for discovering important elements that drive an online discussion. The system receives, as input, a message from an online discussion related to a topic. The message is analyzed for information related to the message. A graph comprising a plurality of nodes is generated, where each of the plurality of nodes represents an entity. The graph is updated over time as additional messages from the online discussion are received, such that additional nodes are generated and linked with at least one of the plurality of nodes by paths. A closeness value for each node is determined based on the path lengths. The entities are ranked based on the closeness values, thereby providing a ranking of the entities by level of importance in the online discussion to a user.
System for discovering important elements that drive an online discussion of a topic using network analysis