Coevolutionary Dynamics with Global Fields

TL;DR

This paper explores how external and autonomous global influence fields, like mass media, affect opinion formation and network fragmentation in adaptive social networks, showing they promote consensus.

Contribution

It introduces a model combining global influence fields with adaptive network dynamics, revealing their role in fostering consensus and preventing social fragmentation.

Findings

Global fields promote consensus in social networks.

Mass media influence prevents network fragmentation.

The model links global influence to opinion dynamics.

Abstract

We investigate the effects of external and autonomous global interaction fields on an adaptive network of social agents with an opinion formation dynamics based on a simple imitation rule. We study the competition between global fields and adaptive rewiring on the space of parameters of the system. The model represents an adaptive society subject to global mass media such as a directed opinion influence or feedback of endogenous cultural trends. We show that, in both situations, global mass media contribute to consensus and to prevent the fragmentation of the social network induced by the coevolutionary dynamics. We present a discussion of these results in the context of dynamical systems and opinion formation dynamics.