Spontaneous reorientations in a model of opinion dynamics with anticonformists

TL;DR

This paper explores a model of opinion dynamics where only conformity and anticonformity influence opinion changes, revealing spontaneous shifts between consensus states at low anticonformity levels.

Contribution

It introduces a model based on outflow dynamics that captures spontaneous reorientations between consensus states driven by anticonformity.

Findings

Consensus remains reachable at low anticonformity levels.

Spontaneous reorientations occur between two consensus states.

Model highlights the role of anticonformity in opinion shifts.

Abstract

In this paper we investigate a model (based on the idea of the outflow dynamics), in which only conformity and anticonformity can lead to the opinion change. We show that for low level of aniconformity the consensus is still reachable but spontaneous reorientations between two types of consensus ('all say yes' or 'all say now') appear.