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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This paper examines the interplay of opinion exchange dynamics and communication network formation. An opinion formation procedure is introduced which is based on an abstract representation of opinions as k-dimensional bit-strings. Individuals interact if the difference in the opinion strings is below a defined similarity threshold dI. Depending on dI, different behaviour of the population is observed: low values result in a state of highly fragmented opinions and higher values yield consensus. The first contribution of this research is to identify the values of parameters dI and k, such that the transition between fragmented opinions and homogeneity takes place. Then, we look at this transition from two perspectives: first by studying the group size distribution and second by analysing the communication network that is formed by the interactions that take place during the simulation. The emerging networks are classified by statistical means and we find that non-trivial social structures emerge from simple rules for individual communication. Generating networks allows to compare model outcomes with real-world communication patterns.
Description
Keywords
Opinion Dynamics Communication Network Empirical Confirmation
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Banisch, Sven; Tanya Araújo and Jorge Louçã .(2014). “Opinion dynamics and communication networks”. Cornell University. 2nd Version Edited in 2014 at arXiv:0904.2956 (Search PDF in 2023).
Publisher
Cornell University