The role of community structure in opinion cluster formation

Abstract

Opinion clustering arises from the collective behavior of a social network. We apply an Opinion Dynamics model to investigate opinion cluster formation in the presence of community structure. Opinion clustering is influenced by the properties of individuals (nodes) and network topology. We determine the sensitivity of opinion cluster formation to changes in node tolerance levels through parameter sweeps. We investigate the effect of network community structure through rewiring the network to lower the community structure. Tolerance variation modifies the effects of community structure on opinion clustering: higher values of tolerance lead to less distinct opinion clustering. Community structure is found to inhibit network wide clusters from forming. We claim that advancing understanding of the role of community structure in social networks can help lead to more informed and effective public health policy.