Opinion Dynamics on Complex Networks

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a significant source of information for people. As agents interact with each other through social media platforms, they create numerous complex social networks. Within these networks, information spread among agents and their opinions may be altered by their neighbors' influence. This paper explores opinion dynamics on social networks, which are influenced by complex network structure, confirmation bias, and specific issues discussed. We propose a novel model based on previous models to simulate how public opinion evolves from consensus to radicalization and to polarization. We also analyze how agents change their stance under their neighbors' impact. Our model reveals the emergence of opinion groups and shows how different factors affect opinion dynamics. This paper contributes to the understanding of opinion dynamics on social networks and their possible applications in finance, marketing, politics, and social media.