scholarly journals Paths to Polarization: How Extreme Views, Miscommunication, and Random Chance Drive Opinion Dynamics

Complexity ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Turner ◽  
Paul E. Smaldino
Keyword(s):  
Opinion Dynamics ◽  
Initial Distribution ◽  
Polarization Measurement ◽  
Cultural Complexity ◽  
Stochastic Variation ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Apparent Reduction ◽  
Path Dependent

Understanding the social conditions that tend to increase or decrease polarization is important for many reasons. We study a network-structured agent-based model of opinion dynamics, extending a model previously introduced by Flache and Macy (2011), who found that polarization appeared to increase with the introduction of long-range ties but decrease with the number of salient opinions, which they called the population’s “cultural complexity.” We find the following. First, polarization is strongly path dependent and sensitive to stochastic variation. Second, polarization depends strongly on the initial distribution of opinions in the population. In the absence of extremists, polarization may be mitigated. Third, noisy communication can drive a population toward more extreme opinions and even cause acute polarization. Finally, the apparent reduction in polarization under increased “cultural complexity” arises via a particular property of the polarization measurement, under which a population containing a wider diversity of extreme views is deemed less polarized. This work has implications for understanding the population dynamics of beliefs, opinions, and polarization as well as broader implications for the analysis of agent-based models of social phenomena.

ANALYZING THE AGENT-BASED MODEL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

2003 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUTAKA I. LEON SUEMATSU ◽  
KEIKI TAKADAMA ◽  
NORBERTO E. NAWA ◽  
KATSUNORI SHIMOHARA ◽  
OSAMU KATAI
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual

Agent-based models (ABMs) have been attracting the attention of researchers in the social sciences, becoming a prominent paradigm in the study of complex social systems. Although a great number of models have been proposed for studying a variety of social phenomena, no general agent design methodology is available. Moreover, it is difficult to validate the accuracy of these models. For this reason, we believe that some guidelines for ABMs design must be devised; therefore, this paper is a first attempt to analyze the levels of ABMs, identify and classify several aspects that should be considered when designing ABMs. Through our analysis, the following implications have been found: (1) there are two levels in designing ABMs: the individual level, related to the design of the agents' internal structure, and the collective level, which concerns the design of the agent society or macro-dynamics of the model; and (2) the mechanisms of these levels strongly affect the outcomes of the models.

scholarly journals The Potential of Modeling Process for Social Sciences and Social Work

2021 ◽  
pp. 113-134
Author(s):  
Andrés Lorenzo-Aparicio ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
Agent Based Modelling ◽  
Modeling Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Ecosystems

Simplification and necessary reductionism in a model cannot lead to detailed descriptions of social phenomena with all their complexity, but we can obtain useful knowledge from their application both in specific and generic contexts. Human ecosystems, that perform as adaptative complex systems, have features which make it difficult to generate valid models. Amongst them, the emergency phenomena, that presents new characteristics that cannot be explained by the components of the system itself. But without this knowledge derived from modelling, we, as social workers, cannot suggest answers that ignore the structural causes of social problems. Faced with this challenge we propose Agent Based Modelling, as it allows us to study the social processes of human ecosystems and in turn demonstrates new challenges of knowledge and competences that social workers might have.

Agent-Based Modeling: Value Added to Social Work Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-311
Author(s):  
Emily S. Ihara ◽  
JoAnn S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
The Social

Social workers have taken large strides in adopting rigorous research methods, yet there have been computational advances that could enhance the social work knowledge base. This article introduces a computational method, agent-based modeling, which can facilitate theoretical and methodological innovations by strengthening the alignment of our research methods with common social work theories. We review three theories, identify how current methods do not allow for the full exploration of the social phenomena under investigation, and provide justification for using agent-based modeling.

scholarly journals Nonparametric inference of interaction laws in systems of agents from trajectory data

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (29) ◽  
pp. 14424-14433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Lu ◽  
Ming Zhong ◽  
Sui Tang ◽  
Mauro Maggioni
Keyword(s):  
Opinion Dynamics ◽  
Analytical Form ◽  
Trajectory Data ◽  
Cell Dynamics ◽  
Fundamental Physics ◽  
Heterogeneous Agent ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Interacting Agents ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nonparametric Statistical

Inferring the laws of interaction in agent-based systems from observational data is a fundamental challenge in a wide variety of disciplines. We propose a nonparametric statistical learning approach for distance-based interactions, with no reference or assumption on their analytical form, given data consisting of sampled trajectories of interacting agents. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our estimators both by providing theoretical guarantees that avoid the curse of dimensionality and by testing them on a variety of prototypical systems used in various disciplines. These systems include homogeneous and heterogeneous agent systems, ranging from particle systems in fundamental physics to agent-based systems that model opinion dynamics under the social influence, prey–predator dynamics, flocking and swarming, and phototaxis in cell dynamics.

scholarly journals Opinion dynamics with backfire effect and biased assimilation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256922
Author(s):  
Xi Chen ◽  
Panayiotis Tsaparas ◽  
Jefrey Lijffijt ◽  
Tijl De Bie
Keyword(s):  
Opinion Dynamics ◽  
Formation Model ◽  
Opinion Formation ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Unrestricted Access ◽  
Biased Assimilation ◽  
Backfire Effect ◽  
Novel Model

The democratization of AI tools for content generation, combined with unrestricted access to mass media for all (e.g. through microblogging and social media), makes it increasingly hard for people to distinguish fact from fiction. This raises the question of how individual opinions evolve in such a networked environment without grounding in a known reality. The dominant approach to studying this problem uses simple models from the social sciences on how individuals change their opinions when exposed to their social neighborhood, and applies them on large social networks. We propose a novel model that incorporates two known social phenomena: (i) Biased Assimilation: the tendency of individuals to adopt other opinions if they are similar to their own; (ii) Backfire Effect: the fact that an opposite opinion may further entrench people in their stances, making their opinions more extreme instead of moderating them. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first DeGroot-type opinion formation model that captures the Backfire Effect. A thorough theoretical and empirical analysis of the proposed model reveals intuitive conditions for polarization and consensus to exist, as well as the properties of the resulting opinions.

“We Speak the Truth!”

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-80
Author(s):  
Sari Hanafi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Science ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Qualifications

This study investigates the preachers and their Friday sermons in Lebanon, raising the following questions: What are the profiles of preachers in Lebanon and their academic qualifications? What are the topics evoked in their sermons? In instances where they diagnosis and analyze the political and the social, what kind of arguments are used to persuade their audiences? What kind of contact do they have with the social sciences? It draws on forty-two semi-structured interviews with preachers and content analysis of 210 preachers’ Friday sermons, all conducted between 2012 and 2015 among Sunni and Shia mosques. Drawing from Max Weber’s typology, the analysis of Friday sermons shows that most of the preachers represent both the saint and the traditional, but rarely the scholar. While they are dealing extensively with political and social phenomena, rarely do they have knowledge of social science

Kaki Manusia Sebagai Objek Estetik Penciptaan Fotografi Seni

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dira Herawati
Keyword(s):  
Social Situation ◽  
Work Of Art ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Aesthetic Object ◽  
Human Foot ◽  
Works Of Art ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Art Photography ◽  
Artistic Images

Accountability report is a written description of creative experiences as an artist or a photographer of aesthetic exploration efforts on the image and the idea of a human as a basic stimulant for the creation of works of art photography. Human foot as an aesthetic object is a problem that relates to various phenomena that occur in the social sphere, culture and politics in Indonesia today. Based on these linkages, human feet would be formulated as an image that has a value, and the impression of eating alone in the creation of a work of art photography. Hence the creation of this art photography entitled The Human Foots as Aesthetic Object  Creation of Art Photography. Starting from this background, then the legs as an option object art photography, will be managed creatively and systematically through a phases of creation. The creation phases consist of: (1) the exploration of discourse, (2) artistic exploration, (3) the stage of elaboration photographic, (4) the synthesis phase, and (5) the stage of completion. Methodically, through the phases of the creative process  through which this can then be formulated in various forms of artistic image of a human foot. The various forms of artistic images generated from the foots of its creation process, can be summed up as an object of aesthetic order 160 Kaki Manusia Sebagai Objek Estetik Penciptaan Fotografi Seni in the photographic works of art. It is specifically characterized by the formation of ‘imaging the other’ behind the image seen with legs visible, as well as of the various forms of ‘new image’ as a result of an artistic exploration of the common image of legs visible. In general, the whole image of the foot in a photographic work of art has a reflective relationship with the social situation, cultures, and politics that developed in Indonesian society, by value, meaning and impression that it contains.Keywords: human foots, aestheti,; social phenomena, art photography, images

The Tinder Games: Collective mobile dating app use and gender conforming behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 205015792110050
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sobieraj ◽  
Lee Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Dating Apps ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Gender Specific

Mobile dating apps like Tinder became very popular among young adults, and, in contrast to mobile dating websites, they were designed to create a more game-like experience. While it is well documented that seeking entertainment is one core motivation for mobile dating app use, the social nature of entertainment has garnered less attention. Therefore, in this paper we draw on research on entertainment in dating apps and the socio-physical contexts of use to identify patterned behaviors of heterosexual users. To do this, we employed a qualitative multi-phase research approach. First, we conducted 20 interviews with mobile dating app users. Based on the findings from that study, we conducted gender-specific focus groups and a discourse analysis to explore the social phenomena identified in phase one. Our findings suggest the fun of mobile dating is not just interacting with potential matches through the apps, but the use of the apps among one’s friends. These “dating games” are entertaining, but importantly mitigate potential social or physical risks of mobile dating. Unsurprisingly, notions of “play” across the interview, focus group, and discourse analyses reflect highly gendered practices surrounding mobile dating apps and different risks associated with such games.

scholarly journals Exploring the effectiveness of a COVID-19 contact tracing app using an agent-based model

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonatan Almagor ◽  
Stefano Picascia
Keyword(s):  
High Rate ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavioural Factors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
User Rate

AbstractA contact-tracing strategy has been deemed necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 following the relaxation of lockdown measures. Using an agent-based model, we explore one of the technology-based strategies proposed, a contact-tracing smartphone app. The model simulates the spread of COVID-19 in a population of agents on an urban scale. Agents are heterogeneous in their characteristics and are linked in a multi-layered network representing the social structure—including households, friendships, employment and schools. We explore the interplay of various adoption rates of the contact-tracing app, different levels of testing capacity, and behavioural factors to assess the impact on the epidemic. Results suggest that a contact tracing app can contribute substantially to reducing infection rates in the population when accompanied by a sufficient testing capacity or when the testing policy prioritises symptomatic cases. As user rate increases, prevalence of infection decreases. With that, when symptomatic cases are not prioritised for testing, a high rate of app users can generate an extensive increase in the demand for testing, which, if not met with adequate supply, may render the app counterproductive. This points to the crucial role of an efficient testing policy and the necessity to upscale testing capacity.

scholarly journals Agent Based Model of Anti-Vaccination Movements: Simulations and Comparison with Empirical Data

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 809
Author(s):  
Pawel Sobkowicz ◽  
Antoni Sobkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Nonlinear Feedback ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Linear Processes ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Social

Background: A realistic description of the social processes leading to the increasing reluctance to various forms of vaccination is a very challenging task. This is due to the complexity of the psychological and social mechanisms determining the positioning of individuals and groups against vaccination and associated activities. Understanding the role played by social media and the Internet in the current spread of the anti-vaccination (AV) movement is of crucial importance. Methods: We present novel, long-term Big Data analyses of Internet activity connected with the AV movement for such different societies as the US and Poland. The datasets we analyzed cover multiyear periods preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting the behavior of vaccine related Internet activity with high temporal resolution. To understand the empirical observations, in particular the mechanism driving the peaks of AV activity, we propose an Agent Based Model (ABM) of the AV movement. The model includes the interplay between multiple driving factors: contacts with medical practitioners and public vaccination campaigns, interpersonal communication, and the influence of the infosphere (social networks, WEB pages, user comments, etc.). The model takes into account the difference between the rational approach of the pro-vaccination information providers and the largely emotional appeal of anti-vaccination propaganda. Results: The datasets studied show the presence of short-lived, high intensity activity peaks, much higher than the low activity background. The peaks are seemingly random in size and time separation. Such behavior strongly suggests a nonlinear nature for the social interactions driving the AV movement instead of the slow, gradual growth typical of linear processes. The ABM simulations reproduce the observed temporal behavior of the AV interest very closely. For a range of parameters, the simulations result in a relatively small fraction of people refusing vaccination, but a slight change in critical parameters (such as willingness to post anti-vaccination information) may lead to a catastrophic breakdown of vaccination support in the model society, due to nonlinear feedback effects. The model allows the effectiveness of strategies combating the anti-vaccination movement to be studied. An increase in intensity of standard pro-vaccination communications by government agencies and medical personnel is found to have little effect. On the other hand, focused campaigns using the Internet and social media and copying the highly emotional and narrative-focused format used by the anti-vaccination activists can diminish the AV influence. Similar effects result from censoring and taking down anti-vaccination communications by social media platforms. The benefit of such tactics might, however, be offset by their social cost, for example, the increased polarization and potential to exploit it for political goals, or increased ‘persecution’ and ‘martyrdom’ tropes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document