Models of Social Processes on Small-World Networks

摘要

We review the geometrical properties of small-world networks, and study a dynamical process involving interacting elements situated at the nodes of such networks. The process, which is modeled as an epidemic-like phenomenon, mimics the propagation of information in a social system. We show that a threshold in the network disorder exists for the information to reach a finite fraction of the population. Several open problems related to the mathematical description of social phenomena are pointed out, and empirical results on a specific social group are presented.