Emergence of Phase Transitions in Complex Contagions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a unified high-dimensional vector model for complex contagions in social networks, capturing phase transitions and tipping points influenced by local and global factors.

Contribution

It presents a novel propagation model integrating individual preferences, local influence, and global sentiment, enabling analysis of phase transitions in complex contagions.

Findings

Balanced local and global influences are crucial for cascade success.

Early growth patterns predict phase transitions.

The model efficiently simulates cascade outcomes using MCMC sampling.

Abstract

Understanding how complex behaviors, opinions, and innovations spread in online social networks remains a central challenge in computational social science. Existing models of complex contagion typically rely on stylized threshold mechanisms based solely on the number of infected neighbors and do not account for the interaction between individual preferences, local social influence, and global sentiment. Moreover, the emergence of virality through phase transitions and tipping points remains poorly characterized. In this paper, we propose a unified propagation cascade model in which notions propagate as high-dimensional vectors in the same feature space as network nodes. Node activations are governed by a unified decision function that integrates propagation affinity, local influence, and global influence. The resulting dynamics induce a stochastic, Markovian cascade process that enables efficient MCMC sampling of propagation outcomes. Using preferential attachment networks, we systematically study spread distributions, incubation dynamics, parameter sensitivity, and phase transition behavior. Our results show that balanced interactions between local reinforcement and global activation are critical for successful cascades and that early-stage growth patterns provide reliable signals of impending phase transitions.