Week 7
Cascades and opinion dynamics, epidemics
EK Ch
Di usion of innovation
Why
• Informational e ects - indirect information is gathered from neighbours decisions, leading to a
change in your behaviour
• Direct-bene t e ects - you change your behaviour because a neighbours decision makes it
pro table
• Determinants of di usion
◦ Complexity of use and understanding of innovation
◦ Ease of observability
◦ Trial ability to mitigate adoption risks
◦ Compatibility with usage, expectations or values within the network
Modelling
B B ab o
Alaal10,01 U i'spairwiseinteractions
t10,0 bb
rule
Threshold
Ptofi's A
neighboursplay
1ptplayB
BR A
if Pdib
Cascading behaviour
• Cascading behaviour is how networks can shift between equilibria
◦ In each period, each node uses a threshold rule to decide whether to switch
◦ Assume sᵢ= A if A~B
• In the case some play A and some play B there is coexistence
a 3 b2 Sthreshold is p0.4
I Si B ti
a VandWadoptA
s tandr adoptA
sanduadoptA
, • Increasing the payo a from 3 to 4 means the
threshold drops from 0.4 to ⅓ and there is a
complete cascade
• If threshold cannot be changed (ie. your
technology cannot be improved), target the right
entry points
◦ After the rst round of switches, bringing 12
or 13 onboard su ce to win the bottom part
of the network
Clusters
A cluster of density p is a set of nodes such that each node has at least a fraction p of neighbours in
the set
Given a set of initial adopters for A, let q be the adoption threshold for A in the remaining network
• If the remaining network has a cluster of density > 1-q, there will not be a complete cascade
• If a set of initial adopters does not induce a complete cascade with threshold q, the remaining
network must contain a cluster of density greater than 1-q (only clusters stop cascades)
Di usion and weak ties
Awareness must precede adoption
• The strength of weak ties means that you are more likely to learn something new from weak ties,
as strong ties are likely similar to you
Individual thresholds
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller zctpfru. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.36. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.