Information dissemination in scale-free networks: Profusion versus scarcity

Abstract

The study of information dissemination in social networks is of particular importance in many areas as marketing, politics and security for example. Various strategies are being developed to disseminate information, those aimed at disseminating information widely and those aimed at disseminating information in a more confidential manner to make it scarce. In this paper, we adapt a model dedicated to spreading rumours by word of mouth in a physical space to the context of social networks. We compare two modes of dissemination based on profusion or scarcity and study the impact of the choice of the initial node. The results obtained show to what extent each mode exploits the social network topology and especially the influence of hubs.