# Averager-copier-voter models for hybrid opinion dynamics in complex networks

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid opinion dynamics model combining continuous averaging and discrete stochastic protocols, analyzing its convergence and consensus time in complex networks.

## Contribution

It presents a novel hybrid model for opinion dynamics and provides a comprehensive analysis of its convergence properties and consensus time.

## Key findings

- Consensus is achieved when the network matrix is ergodic.
- The time to reach consensus is characterized by the network's graph and agent distribution.
- The model integrates continuous and discrete opinion update mechanisms.

## Abstract

A hybrid model for opinion dynamics in complex multi-agent networks is introduced, wherein some continuous-valued agents average neighbors' opinions to update their own, while other discrete-valued agents use stochastic copying and voting protocols. A statistical and graph-theoretic analysis of the model is undertaken, and consensus is shown to be achieved whenever the network matrix is ergodic. Also, the time required for consensus is characterized, in terms of the network's graph and the distribution of agents of different types.