Diffusion of Innovations over Multiplex Social Networks

TL;DR

This paper extends a game-theoretic model of innovation diffusion to multiplex social networks, providing analytical insights and simulations to understand how innovations spread across multiple social layers.

Contribution

It introduces the first multiplex network extension of a game-theoretic diffusion model, offering a foundational framework for studying complex innovation dynamics.

Findings

Derived a lower bound for innovation success

Validated model through simulation results

Provided analytical results for multiplex diffusion

Abstract

The ways in which an innovation (e.g., new behaviour, idea, technology, product) diffuses among people can determine its success or failure. In this paper, we address the problem of diffusion of innovations over multiplex social networks where the neighbours of a person belong to one or multiple networks (or layers) such as friends, families, or colleagues. To this end, we generalise one of the basic game-theoretic diffusion models, called networked coordination game, for multiplex networks. We present analytical results for this extended model and validate them through a simulation study, finding among other properties a lower bound for the success of an innovation.While simple and leading to intuitively understandable results, to the best of our knowledge this is the first extension of a game-theoretic innovation diffusion model for multiplex networks and as such it provides a basic framework to study more sophisticated innovation dynamics.