Personal naming network and population structure
In real world, a lot of phenomenon can be modeled by means of networks. An interesting article published on PLoS ONE explored a novel “personal naming network” in Auckland, New Zealand, a city with diverse ethnic population. The article further extended the analysis in a context of 17 countries across four continents using population register […]
Predicting People’s Tie Strength By Their Interactions in Social Medias
American sociologist Mark Granovetter raises the ideas of weak ties and strong ties in his work The Strength of Weak Ties in 1973 to indicate relationships between people, and over years these two terms have been used in various sociological researches to study the structure of society. By defining a person to be mere a […]
A Friend in Fred
Facebook is our platform for communication, news, and entertainment – it has become nearly vital for us to properly function throughout the day. As one of the largest social networks in the world, Facebook has worked its way into the daily lives of those of other countries beyond the United States, totaling more than half […]
Tragedy of the Commons: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
In the mid 1960s Garrett Hardin, an evolutionary biologist published a paper titled “The Tragedy of the Commons”, the concept of which is formally referred to as the “commonize costs – privatize profits game”. It is a situation that arises when individuals have access to a shared, and sometimes free, resource. With each individual acting […]
Can game theory help you negotiate your salary?
Link: https://williamspaniel.com/2014/09/28/what-does-game-theory-say-about-negotiating-a-pay-raise/ What can an employee do to maximize her chances of negotiating a higher salary? According to William Spaniel, the author of the linked article, one of the most important tactics is to “not be afraid to reject offers and make counteroffers.” To see why Spaniel’s advice is correct, imagine if only the employer […]
Triadic Closure: How Spotted Hyenas Make Friends
According to researchers at University of Pennsylvania, the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis and Michigan State University, some animals like the spotted hyena takes social advantage through triadic closure formed in their networks. They discovered that the most influential factor in their social dynamics was whether the individual hyenas in a group […]
Mutually Assured Destruction? Game Theory and the Cold War
http://www.historytoday.com/john-swift/soviet-american-arms-race The Cold War, born out of the aftermath of World War II, was characterized by a state of political and military tension between primarily the United States and the Soviet Union, breaking the former alliance between two superpowers strongly divided over economic and political ideologies. While the two nations never clashed directly on the […]
Game Theory in Workplace Competition
Competition is not uncommon in the workplace: most push themselves to do their best, nearly reaching their breaking point trying to surpass—or just keep up with—everyone else, with only a few giving up and accepting the fact that they will fall a little behind; a lucky few have found a more pleasant medium. Some people […]
Balanced Triangles in Pop Culture
http://www.people.com/article/taylor-swift-kim-kardashian-friendship-timeline In this discussion titled “A Timeline of the Complicated Relationship Between Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian West”, the triangle between Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift is tracked through time. The first mention of the three of them is under “February 2015: Good Vibes”, where the three of them are pictured smiling, hugging, […]
The Prisoner’s Dilemma in Oil Prices
As discussed in class, the Prisoner’s Dilemma is a very important idea that has contributed greatly to the development of game theory. This concept explains how two people or companies may act in their own self-interest despite the fact that it may be more beneficial for them to cooperate with one another. The Prisoner’s Dilemma […]
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