Human and Social Dynamics Principal Investiagators Meeting 9-16-2005

1

Network Topology and the Dynamics of Collective Action

Michael Macy, Cornell University

with Damon Centola, Cornell University

and Víctor M. Eguíluz, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados

Human and Social Dynamics Principal Investiagators Meeting 9-16-2005

2

Three components

1. Computational models of cascades in small world networks

2. Interdisciplinary graduate seminar

3. International workshop on “Games, Cascades, and Networks,” New York City, October 7-9, 2005

Human and Social Dynamics Principal Investiagators Meeting 9-16-2005

3

A Surprising Finding…

Previous studies: a few random ties allow disease to spread as quickly on clustered networks as on a purely random network.

But many social contagions require exposure to multiple sources of activation.

Does the “small world” principle generalize from epidemics to diffusion of behavioral changes promoted by public health policies?

Effects of rewiring on propagation rate, by threshold TDisease or information

Complex contagionBehavior change

Effects of Random Ties on Diffusion

Human and Social Dynamics Principal Investiagators Meeting 9-16-2005

6

“Games, Networks, and Cascades”

Physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, economists, and sociologists

The Netherlands, UK, Spain, Italy, and the United States

Human and Social Dynamics Principal Investiagators Meeting 9-16-2005

7

Time’s Up!

"In the future, everybody will be famous for

15 3 minutes." -- Andy

Warhol