Balancer effects in opinion dynamics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new contrarian agent type called balancer into the Galam opinion dynamics model, revealing a critical point and three distinct phases of opinion evolution influenced by social skepticism.

Contribution

It presents a novel agent type, the balancer, and demonstrates its impact on opinion dynamics, including the emergence of a critical point and phase transitions.

Findings

Identification of a critical point in the model

Discovery of three distinct opinion phases

Influence of balancers on social skepticism

Abstract

We introduce a novel type of contrarian agent, the balancer, to Galam model of opinion dynamics, in order to account for the existence of social skepticism over one-sidedness. We find that the inclusion of balancers, along with majoritarian floaters and single-sided inflexibles, brings about the emergence of a critical point on parametric plane of the dynamical system. Around the critical point, three distinct phases of opinion dynamics separated by discontinuous changes are found.