Active influence in dynamical models of structural balance in social networks
We consider a nonlinear dynamical system on a signed graph, which can be interpreted as a mathematical model of social networks in which the links can have both positive and negative connotations. In accordance with a concept from social psychology called structural balance, the negative links play...
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Published in | Europhysics letters Vol. 103; no. 1; pp. 18001 - 18006 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Les Ulis
EDP Sciences, IOP Publishing and Società Italiana di Fisica
01.07.2013
IOP Publishing |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | We consider a nonlinear dynamical system on a signed graph, which can be interpreted as a mathematical model of social networks in which the links can have both positive and negative connotations. In accordance with a concept from social psychology called structural balance, the negative links play a key role in both the structure and dynamics of the network. Recent research has shown that in a nonlinear dynamical system modeling the time evolution of "friendliness levels" in the network, two opposing factions emerge from almost any initial condition. Here we study active external influence in this dynamical model and show that any agent in the network can achieve any desired structurally balanced state from any initial condition by perturbing its own local friendliness levels. Based on this result, we also introduce a new network centrality measure for signed networks. The results are illustrated in an international-relations network using United Nations voting record data from 1946 to 2008 to estimate friendliness levels amongst various countries. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/80W-MC1W5JR6-D istex:55A2A5D9CFCBE7CB6280CC351F3E10B2CF26ADEB publisher-ID:epl15561 |
ISSN: | 0295-5075 1286-4854 |
DOI: | 10.1209/0295-5075/103/18001 |