Personalized information diffusion in signed social networks

Abstract

Understanding the dynamics in complex networks is crucial in various applications, such as quelling the epidemic outbreak, preventing the spread of rumors online, and promoting the diffusion of science and technology information. In this study, we investigated a personalized information diffusion (PID) mechanism on signed networks. The main assumption of this mechanism is that if a message is good for the stakeholder, then it is also good for his/her friends but bad for his/her enemies. At each step, the individual who receives the information will determine whether to forward it based on his/her relationship with the stakeholder. We find that bad news may spread further than good news even if a stakeholder has more directly connected friends than enemies. Moreover, the nodes that have more (potential) friends across the network can spread good information more widely. However, individuals who have more enemies locally can spread bad information more widely. Our findings may inspire the design of strategies for controlling information, epidemics, or rumors in social networks.