A Tutorial on Modeling and Analysis of Dynamic Social Networks. Part II

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in modeling and analyzing dynamic social networks, emphasizing control theory approaches and new models that bridge social network analysis with multi-agent system dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces recent models of social processes aligned with MAS theory and discusses future control perspectives in social and techno-social systems.

Findings

New mathematical models for social network dynamics

Algorithms and software for data analysis of social processes

Discussion of future control applications in social systems

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a significant trend towards filling the gap between Social Network Analysis (SNA) and control theory. This trend was enabled by the introduction of new mathematical models describing dynamics of social groups, the development of algorithms and software for data analysis and the tremendous progress in understanding complex networks and multi-agent systems (MAS) dynamics. The aim of this tutorial is to highlight a novel chapter of control theory, dealing with dynamic models of social networks and processes over them, to the attention of the broad research community. In its first part [1], we have considered the most classical models of social dynamics, which have anticipated and to a great extent inspired the recent extensive studies on MAS and complex networks. This paper is the second part of the tutorial, and it is focused on more recent models of social processes that have been developed concurrently with MAS theory. Future perspectives of control in social and techno-social systems are also discussed.