A Delve into Social Polarization
One notable application of key networks principles is using structural balance theory and weak/strong ties to delve into social media dynamics, in particular examine how social media dynamics can evolve over time and how communities can become polarized by certain beliefs and values. Ultimately, the researchers’ goal is to try to find what causes and maintains political polarization in social media communities. In turn, this knowledge can be used to address other issues tied to political polarization. A project called Odycceus is an amalgamation of various ongoing sub-projects and initiatives. For example, the research group has built a Twitter Explorer which displays the complex networks between users, along with the dynamics of a network when factoring in trending topics.
One finding in the project is a connection between game theory, structural balance theory, and the patterns of social polarization. They found that a network that is polarized into two more densely connected clusters (as shown below) is stable. They determined that a feedback mechanism causes members of a cluster to remain in the cluster: the rewarding or non-rewarding (negative) experiences that one receives when one expresses their beliefs in a group of people further strengthens one’s ties within their cluster. This serves as a feedback loop that results in the maintaining of this stark division into two dense clusters. The researchers also conclude that for the weak ties in between the two dense clusters, these are maintained despite the very stark difference in opinion between the two communities. The reason for this is that the reward of expressing one’s beliefs in their like-minded community outweighs the consequences of infrequently interacting with a member of the other community.
We learned in class that weak ties in between dense clusters serve as local bridges, and people who are loosely connected to the opposite community have an advantage because they can hear new perspectives from the other clusters, unlike people who are more nested in the cluster. This means that these people who are connected to both communities are more likely to be a bit more open-minded and could potentially sway and move to the other community.
This also connects to the structural balance theory from class, where instead of labelling ties and weak and strong, we can label them as + or – edges. For this network, the only – edges are the ones connecting the two clusters. Based on the structural balance theory, this kind of network is structurally balanced, meaning that it is in a continuous state of equilibrium.
Learning about and applying key principles relating to networks and game theory is key for researching political polarization and social media dynamics. Such research allows us to gain insight into the underlying cause of certain trends and dynamics in social media, which may help us find solutions to addressing issues, such as cyberbullying, cancel culture, and polarization.
Sources:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0022250X.2018.1517761
- https://phys.org/news/2022-09-game-theory-mathematics-human-conflicts.html