Online Networks, Social Interaction and Segregation: An Evolutionary Approach

TL;DR

This paper presents an evolutionary game model analyzing how online and offline social interactions influence societal segregation and welfare, predicting the potential extinction of online networks and increased segregation under certain conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel evolutionary game framework to study the long-term societal impacts of online versus offline social participation.

Findings

Online social networks may disappear over time due to societal dynamics.

Higher discrimination propensity increases societal segregation.

Society can fall into a social poverty trap due to segregation.

Abstract

We have developed an evolutionary game model, where agents can choose between two forms of social participation: interaction via online social networks and interaction by exclusive means of face-to-face encounters. We illustrate the societal dynamics that the model predicts, in light of the empirical evidence provided by previous literature. We then assess their welfare implications. We show that dynamics, starting from a world in which online social interaction is less gratifying than offline encounters, will lead to the extinction of the sub-population of online networks users, thereby making Facebook and alike disappear in the long run. Furthermore, we show that the higher the propensity for discrimination between the two sub-populations of socially active individuals, the greater the probability that individuals will ultimately segregate themselves, making society fall into a social poverty trap.