Dynamics of the threshold model on hypergraphs

TL;DR

This paper extends the threshold model to hypergraphs, revealing how high-order interactions influence contagion dynamics, with findings on system fragility and robustness based on hyperedge and hyperdegree heterogeneity.

Contribution

It develops a theoretical framework for threshold models on hypergraphs, analyzing the effects of hyperedge size and heterogeneity on contagion processes.

Findings

Increasing hyperedge size can make the system fragile or robust depending on hyperdegree.

Heterogeneity in thresholds increases fragility, while heterogeneity in hyperdegree or hyperedges enhances robustness.

Vertices with higher hyperdegree activate faster and have higher activation probability.

Abstract

The threshold model has been widely adopted as a prototype for studying contagion processes on social networks. In this paper, we consider individual interactions in groups of three or more vertices and study the threshold model on hypergraphs. To understand how high-order interactions affect the breakdown of the system, we develop a theoretical framework based on generating function technology to derive the cascade condition and the giant component of vulnerable vertices, which depend on both hyperedges and hyperdegrees. First, we find a dual role of the hyperedge in propagation: when the average hyperdegree is small, increasing the size of the hyperedges may make the system fragile, while the average hyperdegree is relatively large, the increase of the hyperedges causes the system to be robust. Then, we identify the effects of threshold, hyperdegree, and hyperedge heterogeneities. The heterogeneity of individual thresholds causes the system to be more fragile, while the heterogeneity of individual hyperdegrees or hyperedges increases the robustness of the system. Finally, we show that the higher hyperdegree a vertex has, the larger possibility and faster speed it will get activated. We verify these results by simulating meme spreading on both random hypergraph models and hypergraphs constructed from empirical data.