Leaders and obstacles raise cultural boundaries
M.G. Cosenza, O. Alvarez-Llamoza, C. Echeverr\'ia, K. Tucci

TL;DR
This study uses an agent-based model to explore how geographic obstacles and opinion leaders influence cultural diversity and boundaries within social systems, revealing that both can promote multiculturality and segregation.
Contribution
It introduces a novel agent-based model analyzing the distinct roles of obstacles and opinion leaders in shaping cultural boundaries and diversity.
Findings
High obstacle density increases cultural diversity.
Opinion leaders can promote multiculturality beyond a certain density threshold.
Leaders and obstacles serve as boundary formation points.
Abstract
We employ an agent-based model for cultural dynamics to investigate the effects of spatial heterogeneities on the collective behavior of a social system. We introduce heterogeneity as a random distribution of defects or imperfections in a two-dimensional lattice. Two types of defects are considered separately: obstacles that represent geographic features, and opinion leaders, described as agents exerting unidirectional influence on other agents. In both cases, we characterize two collective phases on the space of parameters of the system, given by the density of defects and a quantity expressing the number of available states: one ordered phase, consisting of a large homogeneous group; and a disordered phase, where many small cultural groups coexist. In the case of leaders, the homogeneous state corresponds to their state. We find that a high enough density of obstacles contributes to…
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