From Content Sharing to Opinion Shaping: A Theoretical Framework for Cascade-Driven Opinion Dynamics

Abstract

Online social networks (OSNs) tightly couple information diffusion and opinion formation, yet most existing models treat these processes separately. Building on the Friedkin-Johnsen on Cascades (FJC) model, which integrates opinion updating within stochastic information cascades, we advance its analytical characterization and systematic validation. We derive an exact conditional layer-wise recursion that reveals the statistical coupling between diffusion realizations and opinion evolution, showing that a closed-form recursion in unconditional expectations is not available. To overcome this limitation, we introduce a mean-field decoupling approximation (MFA) that yields a tractable linear recursion for the expected opinion trajectory. We also develop scalable tree-based reductions that drastically reduce computational complexity while preserving structural diffusion properties, and validate the analytical recursion and its approximations through extensive simulations. Using Stochastic Block Model networks with controlled initial opinion configurations, we show that, unlike the classical Friedkin-Johnsen model, which typically leads to global homogenization, the FJC dynamics generate richer regimes of bounded assimilation and sustained polarization. Overall, this work bridges diffusion and influence modeling, providing a theoretical foundation for understanding how cascade-driven interactions reshape collective opinion landscapes in structured social networks.