The Effects of Local and Global Link Creation Mechanisms on Contagion Processes Unfolding on Time-Varying Networks

Abstract

Social closeness and popularity are key ingredients that shape the emergence and evolution of social connections over time. Social closeness captures local reinforcement mechanisms which are behind the formation of strong ties and communities. Popularity, on the other hand, describes global link formation dynamics which drive, among other things, hubs, weak ties and bridges between groups. In this chapter, we characterize how these mechanisms affect spreading processes taking place on time-varying networks. We study contagion phenomena unfolding on a family of artificial temporal networks. In particular, we revise four different variations of activity-driven networks that capture (i) heterogeneity of activation patterns (ii) popularity (iii) the emergence of strong and weak ties (iv) community structure. By means of analytical and numerical analyses we uncover a rich and process dependent phenomenology where the interplay between spreading phenomena and link formation mechanisms might either speed up or slow down the spreading.