Computational Models of Opinion Formation in Social Networks and Their Dimensions
Subject Areas : ICT
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Keywords: Opinion Formation, Opinion Dynamics, Modeling, Computational Social Science,
Abstract :
Opinion formation is a propagation process in social networks, examining the dynamics of people's opinion dynamics under the influence of others. Several computational opinion formation models have been proposed to study the dynamics of opinion and the process of creating situations such as consensus, bipolarity/multi-polarization, or the diversity of opinions in a society. Due to the growing trend of online social networks and considering the speed and convenience of producing and publishing content in these networks, an appropriate opinion formation model should be used in related studies. This study surveys the major opinion formation models and introduces a set of dimensions distinguishing opinion formation models. These dimensions are comprised of 1) opinion space, 2) discrete/continuous time, 3) interaction network, 4) interaction limitation, 5) degree of influence, 6) time dependency, and 7) linearity of model. Moreover, some conditions could be considered on the models that affect opinion formation model, including 1) homogeneity/heterogeneity of interacting people, 2) the number of dimensions of opinion space, 3) first impression, and 4) deterministic/noisy modeling. The results of this study help the researchers in the field of opinion formation to choose the appropriate opinion formation model according to the conditions and characteristics of the subject under investigation, and even to expand opinion formation models, if necessary.