The external field effect on the opinion formation based on the majority rule and the $q$-voter models on the complete graph

Abstract

We investigate the external field effect on opinion formation based on the majority rule and $q$-voter models on a complete graph. The external field can be considered as the mass media in the social system, with the probability $p$ agents following the mass media opinion. Based on our Monte Carlo simulation, the mass media effect is not strong enough to make the system reach a homogeneous state (complete consensus) with the magnetization $m = 1$ for all values of $p$, indicates that the existence of a usual phase transition for all values of $p$. In the $q$-voter model, the mass media eliminates the usual phase transition at $p \approx 0.21$. We obtain the model's critical point and scaling parameters using the finite-size scaling analysis and obtain that both models have the same scaling parameters. The external field effect decreases both models' relaxation time and the relaxation time following the power-law relation such as $\tau \sim N^{\beta}$, where $N$ is the population size, and $\beta$ depends on the probability $p$. In the majority rule model, $\beta$ follows a linear relation, and in the $q$-voter model, $\beta$ follows a power-law relation.