Nonequilibrium phase transition in the coevolution of networks and opinions
Open accessAbstract
Models of the convergence of opinion in social systems have been the subject of considerable recent attention in the physics literature. These models divide into two classes, those in which individuals form their beliefs based on the opinions of their neighbors in a social network of personal acquaintances, and those in which, conversely, network connections form between individuals of similar beliefs. While both of these processes can give rise to realistic levels of agreement between acquaintances, practical experience suggests that opinion formation in the real world is not a result of one process or the other, but a combination of the two. Here we present a simple model of this combination, with a single parameter controlling the balance of the two processes. We find that the model undergoes a continuous phase transition as this parameter is varied, from a regime in which opinions are arbitrarily diverse to one in which most individuals hold the same opinion.
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Several empirical features of social networks characterized by echo chambers and their relations to opinion polarization have not been addressed within a unified modeling framework.
“Although, echo chambers and modular network structures were previously also related to homophily [29, 30], several empirical features of social networks characterized by echo chambers [2, 16, 17, 30] and their relations to opinion polarization have not been addressed within a unified modeling framework.”
From Modeling echo chambers and polarization dynamics in social networks (2020) · cites this paper as [30]
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- Authors
- Holme, P., & Newman, M. E. J.
- Affiliations
- University of New Mexico (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- Physical Review E
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Published
- 2006-11-10
- Volume
- 74
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 056108-056108
- ISSN
- 1539-3755 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-2376
- OpenAlex
- W1991442303
- Cited by
- 621
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 37 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 15.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- arxiv.org
- Locations
- Physical Review E (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- CERN Document Server (European Organization for Nuclear Research) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Wenner-Gren Stiftelserna
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Complex Systems and Time Series Analysis
- Keywords
- opinion dynamics, social networks, nonequilibrium phase transitions, second-order phase transition, homophily, network formation, opinion diversity
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