Interacting Discovery Processes on Complex Networks

Innovation is the driving force of human progress. Recent urn models reproduce well the dynamics through which the discovery of a novelty may trigger further ones, in an expanding space of opportunities, but neglect the effects of social interactions. Here we focus on the mechanisms of collective ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2020-12, Vol.125 (24), p.248301-248301, Article 248301
Main Authors: Iacopini, Iacopo, Di Bona, Gabriele, Ubaldi, Enrico, Loreto, Vittorio, Latora, Vito
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diffusion of Innovation
Humans
Models, Theoretical
Social Network Analysis
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Summary:Innovation is the driving force of human progress. Recent urn models reproduce well the dynamics through which the discovery of a novelty may trigger further ones, in an expanding space of opportunities, but neglect the effects of social interactions. Here we focus on the mechanisms of collective exploration, and we propose a model in which many urns, representing different explorers, are coupled through the links of a social network and exploit opportunities coming from their contacts. We study different network structures showing, both analytically and numerically, that the pace of discovery of an explorer depends on its centrality in the social network. Our model sheds light on the role that social structures play in discovery processes.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.125.248301