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arXiv · 1811.03706

Maximizing Diversity of Opinion in Social Networks

Erika Mackin·Stacy Patterson
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Abstract

We study the problem of maximizing opinion diversity in a social network that includes opinion leaders with binary opposing opinions. The members of the network who are not leaders form their opinions using the French-DeGroot model of opinion dynamics. To quantify the diversity of such a system, we adapt two diversity measures from ecology to our setting, the Simpson Diversity Index and the Shannon Index. Using these two measures, we formalize the problem of how to place a single leader with opinion 1, given a network with a leader with opinion 0, so as to maximize the opinion diversity. We give analytical solutions to these problems for paths, cycles, and trees, and we highlight our results through a numerical example.

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Erika Mackin, Stacy Patterson. 2018-11-08. Maximizing Diversity of Opinion in Social Networks. https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.03706

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