Understanding social fragmentation in a Hamiltonian approach
Understanding social fragmentation in a Hamiltonian approach
Disciplines
Other Social Sciences (5%); Computer Sciences (30%); Mathematics (5%); Physics, Astronomy (60%)
Keywords
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Opinion Formation,
Co-Evolutionary Dynamics,
Social Fragmentation,
Spin Glass,
Phase Transitions,
Social Balance Theory
Like many social phenomena, the formation of individuals` opinions within a society emerges as a result of the complex interactions within friendship-, communication-, or other types of social networks. This happens through a dynamic process in which opinions and the respective network simultaneously co-evolve and influence each other. We currently witness a societal fragmentation where individuals cooperate within groups but become increasingly hostile between groups. While modern social media are often attributed as a cause for this fragmentation, and so called filter bubbles or echo chambers are believed to have a negative impact on opinion formation processes in democracies, its details and dynamics remain largely unknown. We want to clarify the main driving forces behind social fragmentation within the framework of physics-inspired opinion formation models. We propose a model of a toy society that incorporates two fundamentals of social dynamics, opinion formation based on copying opinions of others, and structural social balance, meaning e.g. that my friends friend is my friend. Similar models in physics show phase transitions. They correspond with a rapid change within the system, e.g. the change from ice to water when temperature increases. Similarly to temperature, there are critical parameters that separate a homogenous society from a fragmented one. In this project, we try to find such parameters to better understand, when a society is expected to disintegrate into rivaling groups, impeding democratic decision processes. A main observation is that the increase of communication processes within the population could be involved in the fragmentation process. We want to uncover this possibility within the project.
Research Output
- 41 Citations
- 8 Publications
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2023
Title Homophily-Based Social Group Formation in a Spin Glass Self-Assembly Framework DOI 10.1103/physrevlett.130.057401 Type Journal Article Author Korbel J Journal Physical Review Letters Pages 057401 Link Publication -
2021
Title Balance and fragmentation in societies with homophily and social balance DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-96065-5 Type Journal Article Author Pham T Journal Scientific Reports Pages 17188 Link Publication -
2023
Title Energy distribution of inelastic gas in a box is dominated by a power law—a derivation in the framework of sample space reducing processes DOI 10.1088/1367-2630/acaf15 Type Journal Article Author Thurner S Journal New Journal of Physics Pages 013014 Link Publication -
2022
Title Empirical social triad statistics can be explained with dyadic homophylic interactions DOI 10.1073/pnas.2121103119 Type Journal Article Author Pham T Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Link Publication -
2022
Title Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of uncertain stochastic processes DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2210.05249 Type Preprint Author Korbel J -
2024
Title Firm-level supply chains to minimize unemployment and economic losses in rapid decarbonization scenarios DOI 10.1038/s41893-024-01321-x Type Journal Article Author Stangl J Journal Nature Sustainability Pages 581-589 -
2024
Title Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of uncertain stochastic processes DOI 10.1103/physrevresearch.6.013021 Type Journal Article Author Korbel J Journal Physical Review Research Pages 013021 Link Publication -
2022
Title Homophily-based social group formation in a spin-glass self-assembly framework DOI 10.48550/arxiv.2211.12210 Type Preprint Author Korbel J