Bounded-Confidence Models of Opinion Dynamics on Networks

Tune in for the live stream on YouTube or Twitter.

Abstract: I will discuss the modeling of opinion dynamics on various types of networks. After introducing some general questions and ideas in the field, I will focus on bounded-confidence models (BCMs), in which nodes have continuous-valued opinions and update those opinions when they interact with nodes with sufficiently similar opinions. I will discuss generalizations of BCMs to hypergraphs, adaptive networks, and networks with node weights. I will discuss consensus, polarization, and fragmentation of opinions in these models. Time permitting, I will also discuss the coupling of opinion dynamics and disease spread using compartmental models.