A Study of rumor spreading on small-world and scale-free social networks

Abstract

This report is to study the dynamics of rumor spreading on complex social networks and the effect of networks' structure on rumor spreading is investigated by simulations with Matlab. Rumor propagation on small-world and scale-free social networks is modeled by using an S-I-R Daley-Kendall model. Comparisons between these two types of networks are made about increasing infection rate, an initial spreader with different degree, and increasing initial number of spreaders. Also, the effectiveness of random and targeted immunizations on these two types of networks is compared. Results of these simulations are revealed and compared based on their network topologies. To conclude the results of the simulations, it shows that scale-free networks are more susceptible to rumor spreading. At the same time, however, this kind of networks is fragile to targeted immunization. There should be a threshold infection rate on small-world networks for rumor spreading. Once infection rate is greater than the threshold value, the diffusion of rumor on small-world networks will be greater than scale-free networks.