External Bias and Opinion Clustering in Cooperative Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a Laplacian-based model for opinion dynamics in cooperative networks, demonstrating how to achieve desired opinion clusters despite external biases and establishing conditions for reaching arbitrary opinion states.

Contribution

It proposes a control method for opinion clustering under external biases and provides conditions for arbitrary opinion state reachability in any network structure.

Findings

Control input design enables desired opinion clustering.

Conditions for reachability to any opinion state are established.

Numerical simulations validate the theoretical results.

Abstract

In this work, we consider a group of n agents which interact with each other in a cooperative framework. A Laplacian-based model is proposed to govern the evolution of opinions in the group when the agents are subjected to external biases like agents' traits, news, etc. The objective of the paper is to design a control input which leads to any desired opinion clustering even in the presence of external bias factors. Further, we also determine the conditions which ensure the reachability to any arbitrary opinion states. Note that all of these results hold for any kind of graph structure. Finally, some numerical simulations are discussed to validate these results.