Co-evolving networks for opinion and social dynamics in agent-based models

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Conrad, Nataša Djurdjevac, Vu, Nhu Quang, Nagel, Sören
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Conrad, Nataša Djurdjevac
Vu, Nhu Quang
Nagel, Sören
author_facet Conrad, Nataša Djurdjevac
Vu, Nhu Quang
Nagel, Sören
contents The rise of digital social media has strengthened the coevolution of public opinions and social interactions, that shape social structures and collective outcomes in increasingly complex ways. Existing literature often explores this interplay as a one-directional influence, focusing on how opinions determine social ties within adaptive networks. However, this perspective overlooks the intrinsic dynamics driving social interactions, which can significantly influence how opinions form and evolve. In this work, we address this gap, by introducing the co-evolving opinion and social dynamics using stochastic agent-based models. Agents' mobility in a social space is governed by both their social and opinion similarity with others. Similarly, the dynamics of opinion formation is driven by the opinions of agents in their social vicinity. We analyze the underlying social and opinion interaction networks and explore the mechanisms influencing the appearance of emerging phenomena, like echo chambers and opinion consensus. To illustrate the model's potential for real-world analysis, we apply it to General Social Survey data on political identity and public opinion regarding governmental issues. Our findings highlight the model's strength in capturing the coevolution of social connections and individual opinions over time.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_00145
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Co-evolving networks for opinion and social dynamics in agent-based models
Conrad, Nataša Djurdjevac
Vu, Nhu Quang
Nagel, Sören
Physics and Society
Dynamical Systems
91Dxx, 05C82, 37Hxx
The rise of digital social media has strengthened the coevolution of public opinions and social interactions, that shape social structures and collective outcomes in increasingly complex ways. Existing literature often explores this interplay as a one-directional influence, focusing on how opinions determine social ties within adaptive networks. However, this perspective overlooks the intrinsic dynamics driving social interactions, which can significantly influence how opinions form and evolve. In this work, we address this gap, by introducing the co-evolving opinion and social dynamics using stochastic agent-based models. Agents' mobility in a social space is governed by both their social and opinion similarity with others. Similarly, the dynamics of opinion formation is driven by the opinions of agents in their social vicinity. We analyze the underlying social and opinion interaction networks and explore the mechanisms influencing the appearance of emerging phenomena, like echo chambers and opinion consensus. To illustrate the model's potential for real-world analysis, we apply it to General Social Survey data on political identity and public opinion regarding governmental issues. Our findings highlight the model's strength in capturing the coevolution of social connections and individual opinions over time.
title Co-evolving networks for opinion and social dynamics in agent-based models
topic Physics and Society
Dynamical Systems
91Dxx, 05C82, 37Hxx
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.00145