Centrality-friendship paradoxes: when our friends are more important than us

DOI10.1093/COMNET/CNY029zbMATH Open1472.05038arXiv1807.01496OpenAlexW2964080606WikidataQ129077350 ScholiaQ129077350MaRDI QIDQ4958768FDOQ4958768

Authors:

Publication date: 15 September 2021

Published in: Journal of Complex Networks (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The friendship paradox states that, on average, our friends have more friends than we do. In network terms, the average degree over the nodes can never exceed the average degree over the neighbours of nodes. This effect, which is a classic example of sampling bias, has attracted much attention in the social science and network science literature, with variations and extensions of the paradox being defined, tested and interpreted. Here, we show that a version of the paradox holds rigorously for eigenvector centrality: on average, our friends are more important than us. We then consider general matrix-function centrality, including Katz centrality, and give sufficient conditions for the paradox to hold. We also discuss which results can be generalized to the cases of directed and weighted edges. In this way, we add theoretical support for a field that has largely been evolving through empirical testing.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.01496

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zbMATH Keywords

matrix functionPerron-Frobenius theoryeigenvector centralitysampling biaswalkKatz centralityfriendship paradox

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Graphs and linear algebra (matrices, eigenvalues, etc.) (05C50) Applications of graph theory (05C90) Social networks; opinion dynamics (91D30) Vertex degrees (05C07)

Cited In (9)

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• Copula-based analysis of the generalized friendship paradox in clustered networks
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• The multistep friendship paradox
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• THE FRIENDSHIP PARADOX FOR WEIGHTED AND DIRECTED NETWORKS
• Asymptotic distribution of the friendship paradox of a random geometric graph
• Measuring the variability of local characteristics in complex networks: empirical and analytical analysis

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