Multiplex Influence Maximization in Online Social Networks with Heterogeneous Diffusion Models

TL;DR

This paper introduces new algorithms for influence maximization in multiplex social networks with heterogeneous diffusion models, providing theoretical guarantees and validating effectiveness through experiments.

Contribution

It develops the concept of generalized deterministic submodular property and proposes scalable algorithms ISF and KSN for influence maximization in multiplex networks.

Findings

ISF guarantees a $(1 - 1/e)$ approximation ratio under certain conditions.

KSN achieves an approximation ratio depending on the number of layers and overlaps.

Experiments confirm the algorithms' effectiveness on real and synthetic multiplex networks.

Abstract

Motivated by online social networks that are linked together through overlapping users, we study the influence maximization problem on a multiplex, with each layer endowed with its own model of influence diffusion. This problem is a novel version of the influence maximization problem that necessitates new analysis incorporating the type of propagation on each layer of the multiplex. We identify a new property, generalized deterministic submodular, which when satisfied by the propagation in each layer, ensures that the propagation on the multiplex overall is submodular -- for this case, we formulate ISF, the greedy algorithm with approximation ratio $(1 - 1/e)$. Since the size of a multiplex comprising multiple OSNs may encompass billions of users, we formulate an algorithm KSN that runs on each layer of the multiplex in parallel. KSN takes an $\alpha$-approximation algorithm A for the influence maximization problem on a single-layer network as input, and has approximation ratio $\frac{(1-\epsilon)\alpha}{(o+1)k}$ for arbitrary $\epsilon > 0$, $o$ is the number of overlapping users, and $k$ is the number of layers in the multiplex. Experiments on real and synthesized multiplexes validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithms for the problem of influence maximization in the heterogeneous multiplex. Implementations of ISF and KSN are available at http://www.alankuhnle.com/papers/mim/mim.html.