The impact of negative edges on spreading in signed networks

Peng Zhang (), Xiao Zhang () and Leyang Xue
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Peng Zhang: School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, P. R. China
Xiao Zhang: School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, P. R. China
Leyang Xue: School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, P. R. China2International Academic Center of Complex Systems, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, P. R. China

International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), 2022, vol. 33, issue 03, 1-20

Abstract: In signed networks, negative edges represent negative relationships; the increase or gathering of negative interpersonal relationships can lead to social turmoil, which will affect the spreading of diseases or information. Therefore, it is significant to study the impact of the proportion and configuration of negative edges on spreading. In this paper, to study the impact of negative relationships on spreading, we propose a heterogeneous spreading model using signed networks. In this model, we use the balance of the local structure to quantify the probability of contact between individuals, making the contacts heterogeneous. We then examine the impact of negative edges on spreading using numerical simulations. We find that the balance of the network and the spreading coverage (i.e. outbreak size) gradually decrease with the proportion of negative edges. Compared with preference configurations (in which negative signs are placed on edges that have an important impact on spreading), a random configuration (in which negative signs are placed on random edges) has a suppressive effect on spreading. This provides information for epidemic prevention. Finally, we find that there are two important factors — contact probability and spreading paths — that could explain the observed spreading phenomena.

Keywords: Signed networks; negative edges; spreading dynamics; heterogeneous contact probability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1142/S0129183122500425

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