Word cloud analysis: definition, application and production tools

The concept of word cloud originated from Rich Gordon, associate professor of journalism and director of the new media major at Northwestern University. In his many years of experience in the news field, he focuses on new forms of online content release. Most of these forms are communication methods that are difficult to achieve with traditional media. The word cloud forms a “keyword cloud” or “keyword rendering” by visually highlighting high-frequency keywords in the text, thereby helping users quickly grasp the gist of the text.

Word clouds are widely used in many fields, including education, entertainment and computer software. In electronic novel reading, word cloud diagrams can prompt readers with keywords and subject indexes, making online reading more convenient. Some foreign language learning websites combine education and entertainment, providing learners with specific vocabulary lists and word clouds through automatic analysis and probability statistics. In addition, many entertainment enthusiasts use word clouds for display, and even print them into postcards or place them in online photo albums, becoming a way of self-expression.

In terms of data visualization, word cloud charts are popular for their powerful visual impact. It extracts words based on input text and displays high-frequency words according to the frequency of word occurrence. It is simple, intuitive and efficient. Currently, there are a variety of word cloud diagram creation tools on the market, such as micro-word cloud, WordArt, Tableau, etc. In addition, programmers can also create word cloud diagrams through programming languages ​​​​such as Pvthor. Each tool and production method has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Users can choose the appropriate software or method to create word cloud diagrams according to their own needs.