Asymmetrically interacting spreading dynamics on complex layered networks

TL;DR

This paper explores how disease and information spread on interconnected layered networks, revealing how their asymmetrical interactions influence epidemic thresholds and outbreak resilience.

Contribution

It introduces a physical theory to analyze the asymmetric interplay between disease and information spreading on layered networks, highlighting the effects of structural correlations.

Findings

Epidemic outbreaks on contact layers can trigger information spread.

Information dissemination can increase the epidemic threshold.

Structural correlations can enhance contact layer resilience.

Abstract

The spread of disease through a physical-contact network and the spread of information about the disease on a communication network are two intimately related dynamical processes. We investigate the asymmetrical interplay between the two types of spreading dynamics, each occurring on its own layer, by focusing on the two fundamental quantities underlying any spreading process: epidemic threshold and the final infection ratio. We find that an epidemic outbreak on the contact layer can induce an outbreak on the communication layer, and information spreading can effectively raise the epidemic threshold. When structural correlation exists between the two layers, the information threshold remains unchanged but the epidemic threshold can be enhanced, making the contact layer more resilient to epidemic outbreak. We develop a physical theory to understand the intricate interplay between the two types of spreading dynamics.