ABSTRACT

People need information to cope with the demands of life, yet, questions remain about the way social structures facilitate the spread of new information. This study applies agent-based modeling (ABM) to information-seeking behavior. The primary focus is the role of network structure in shaping the spread of information. The present study confirms and extends existing diffusion research by showing that in-degree hierarchy influences multiple diffusion outcomes; hierarchy determines the likely targets of information requests, but its effects are contingent on structural fluidity, the extent that information-seekers may deviate from typical network behavior. Consistent with prior research, more rigid hierarchies increase the potential for rapid diffusion but dramatically increase the risk of diffusion failure. However, the effects of hierarchy that enable rapid diffusion do not require extreme rigidity, but rather are enhanced by a moderately fluid network in which information requests deviate to an extent from the structurally defined channels. This study also analyzes the effects of initial conditions, and the distribution of information itself within networks. Methodological, theoretical, and pragmatic implications are discussed.

摘要

人们需要信息来应对生活需求，然而，社会结构促进新信息传播的方式仍然存在问题。本研究将基于代理的建模 (ABM) 应用于信息搜索行为。主要关注点是网络结构在塑造信息传播方面的作用。本研究证实并扩展了现有的扩散研究，表明学位等级影响多个扩散结果；层次结构决定了信息请求的可能目标，但其影响取决于结构流动性，信息寻求者可能偏离典型网络行为的程度。与先前的研究一致，更严格的层次结构增加了快速扩散的可能性，但会显着增加扩散失败的风险。然而，能够快速传播的等级效应不需要极端的刚性，而是通过适度流动的网络来增强，其中信息请求在一定程度上偏离结构定义的渠道。本研究还分析了初始条件的影响，以及网络内信息本身的分布。讨论了方法论、理论和实际意义。