Departmental Papers (ASC)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
1-1-2013
Publication Source
Entropy
Volume
15
Start Page
4553
Last Page
4568
DOI
10.3390/e15114553
Abstract
We analyze information diffusion using empirical data that tracks online communication around two instances of mass political mobilization that took place in Spain in 2011 and 2012. We also analyze protest-related communications during the year that elapsed between those protests. We compare the global properties of the topological and dynamic networks through which communication took place, as well as local changes in network composition. We show that changes in network structure underlie aggregated differences on how information diffused: an increase in network hierarchy is accompanied by a reduction in the average size of cascades. The increasing hierarchy affects not only the underlying communication topology but also the more dynamic structure of information exchange; the increase is especially noticeable amongst certain categories of nodes (or users). Our findings suggest that the relationship between the structure of networks and their function in diffusing information is not as straightforward as some theoretical models of diffusion in networks imply.
Keywords
information cascades, political communication, online networks, collective behavior
Recommended Citation
Baños, R. A., Borge-Holthoefer, J., Wang, N., Moreno, Y., & González-Bailón, S. (2013). Diffusion Dynamics With Changing Network Composition. Entropy, 15 4553-4568. https://doi.org/10.3390/e15114553
Date Posted: 24 February 2017
This document has been peer reviewed.
Comments
Baños, R., Borge-Holthoefer, J., Wang, N., Moreno, Y., and González-Bailón, S. (2013).“Diffusion Dynamics with Changing Network Composition”, Entropy (special issue on Social Networks and Information Diffusion), 15(11), 4553-4568. doi:10.3390/e15114553