A Geometric Model of Opinion Polarization

DOI10.1287/MOOR.2023.1355arXiv1910.05274OpenAlexW2979391172MaRDI QIDQ6189904FDOQ6189904

Authors: Jan Hązła, Yan Jin, Elchanan Mossel, Govind Ramnarayan 

Publication date: 5 March 2024

Published in: Mathematics of Operations Research (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We introduce a simple, geometric model of opinion polarization. It is a model of political persuasion, as well as marketing and advertising, utilizing social values. It focuses on the interplay between different topics and persuasion efforts. We demonstrate that societal opinion polarization often arises as an unintended byproduct of influencers attempting to promote a product or idea. We discuss a number of mechanisms for the emergence of polarization involving one or more influencers, sending messages strategically, heuristically, or randomly. We also examine some computational aspects of choosing the most effective means of influencing agents, and the effects of those strategic considerations on polarization.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.05274

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zbMATH Keywords

computational complexityopinion dynamicsopinion polarization

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Social networks; opinion dynamics (91D30) Computational difficulty of problems (lower bounds, completeness, difficulty of approximation, etc.) (68Q17)

Cited In (1)

• Dynamics of opinion polarization in a population

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