Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2609.26543

Propagation of opinions on a network. Convergence, spreading speed and patterns in the Daley-Kendall model

Abstract

We study a social contagion model describing the propagation of opinions across a network. Our model is a generalization of a model introduced by Daley and Kendall, and consists of a system of coupled differential equations set on the nodes of an infinite graph. The modeling is inspired by SIR-type models from epidemiology. The key idea is that individuals can transmit their opinion to their neighbors (as in epidemiological models), until they perceive that the opinion is already known in their neighborhood. After introducing the model, we analyze the long-time behavior of its solutions. We prove that the solutions converge and we study their asymptotic equilibrium. We also establish estimates on the speed of propagation of the solutions through the network. These results give estimates on the rate of adoption of the opinion and on its velocity in the social network. We also provide simulations that indicate that this model can give rise to patterns: when the individuals take into account individuals that are ''far enough'' in estimating whether or not the opinion is already known, then we observe the emergence of localized ''bubbles'' where the opinion is adopted.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Romain Ducasse. 2026-09-22. Propagation of opinions on a network. Convergence, spreading speed and patterns in the Daley-Kendall model. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.26543

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Multilayered fluid-structure interactions: existence of weak solutions for time-periodic and initial-value problems

We establish the existence of weak solutions for a class of fully coupled multilayered fluid-structure interaction systems in a three-dimensional spatial setting. The model consists of an incompressible viscous fluid interacting with a thin elastic shell, which is in turn coupled to a three-dimensional elastic solid, yielding a nonstandard $3D/2D/3D$ coupling configuration. The system is driven by time-periodic boundary forcing through Bernoulli-type pressure conditions. For sufficiently small forcing in $L^2$, we prove the existence of at least one time-periodic weak solution. A central analytical difficulty stems from the strong nonlinear coupling across interfaces of different dimensionality and the absence of classical compactness mechanisms. This challenge is overcome through a carefully designed energy framework combined with and new $L^{2}$ compactness arguments adapted to the multilayered geometry. A key structural assumption is the viscoelasticity of the three-dimensional solid, which yields additional diffusion estimates and ensures energy stability. In the purely elastic case, we establish the global-in-time existence of weak solutions to the corresponding initial-value problem, provided that no degeneration (self-contact) of the fluid domain occurs. These results extend existing theories for two-dimensional and reduced-dimensional configurations to a genuinely three-dimensional multilayered setting, providing new analytical insight into complex coupled PDE systems arising in fluid-structure interaction.

math.AP

A linear test approach to global controllability of third- and fifth-order nonlinear dispersive equations

We investigate third- and fifth-order nonlinear dispersive equations of KdV type on the torus and establishes approximate controllability by a fixed four-dimensional control; rather than relying solely on the saturation machinery, the analysis exploits the finite-dimensional controllability of the inviscid Burgers equation linearized around a carefully constructed return trajectory, with the trajectory itself obtained from an observable family. This ``linear test" strategy, yields more information about the structure of the control than the standard approach. In particular, the constructed control is shown to depend continuously on the initial and target states, a property that is by no means automatic in nonlinear control problems, and to decompose as a bounded linear operator applied to the data plus a fixed remainder, with the operator part interestingly independent of the order of dispersion.

math.AP

Global in-time rough large data solution to complex-valued semilinear damped evolution equations

We study the semilinear Cauchy problem for complex-valued damped evolution equations \begin{align*} \partial_t^2u+(-Δ)^σu+(-Δ)^δ\partial_tu=u^p,\ \ u(0,x)=u_0(x),\ \partial_tu(0,x)=u_1(x), \end{align*} with $δ\in[0,σ]$, $σ\in\mathbb{R}_+$ and $p\in\mathbb{N}_+\backslash\{1\}$, where the initial data belong to the rough space $E^α_s$ endowed with the norm \begin{align*} \|f\|_{E^α_s}=\big\|\langleξ\rangle^s\,2^{α|ξ|}\widehat{f}(ξ)\big\|_{L^2}\ \ \mbox{with}\ \ α<0, \ s\in\mathbb{R}. \end{align*} Concerning $(u_0,u_1)\in E^α_{s+\barκ}\times E^α_s$ when $s\geqslant\frac{n}{2}-\frac{2κ+\barκ-2δ}{p-1}-\barκ$ with $κ=\min\{2δ,σ\}$ and $\barκ=\max\{2δ,σ\}$ whose Fourier transforms are supported in a suitable subset of first octant, we prove a global in-time existence result without requiring the smallness of rough initial data.

math.AP