Stress on Social Networks formed in a Mobile and Diverse World

1. Stress on Social Networks formed in a Mobile and Diverse World CS 460 December 8, 2005

2. What is it? • This model simulate how stress affects the dynamics of social networks created in a mobile and diverse society.  • In the original segregation model, we see that segregated communities results from even low levels of desire to live among others similar to oneself. • We extend the model by including networks formed during a person’s searched for his/her desired community. • We also examine how stress affect the formation of social network.

3. Few Simple Rules • The world is simulated as a closed system so people cannot leave the world nor can new people come into the world.  • Based on the level of percent similar wanted, the agents move around till the specified percentage of similarity is satisfied.  • Along the way of finding their “desired” communities, people meet other people.  Upon the meeting, a link or bond is created.  Soon a network of “friends” is established.  • The strength of the relationship or bond between any two person is determined randomly. The strength is given a number between 0 and 9 with 9 between the strongest and 0 the weakest.

4. Rules Cont. • The observer can inject stress into the world anytime during the simulation. • Once stress is injected, those who are affected will pass on their stress to their nearest friends/neighbors. It also dissipates over time. • Each time that a portion of stress is passed on to your neighbor, the link is weaken. • When the strength of the bond reaches 0, the link is broken

5. Setup • At setup, one can specify the number of persons and groups that he or she want in the world.  One can also specify a single homogenous society. • The world spawns an equal number of people for each group.    • The world created at setup is stress free. • During the simulation, when stress can be injected into the system. The person affected change color in the shade of red. The more stressed they are, the darker they become.  • Choose the stress dissipation and disperse rate • Dissipate rate – how fast stress dissipate over time • Disperse ratio – what percentage of stress is passed onto your friends through networks • Choose percent of similarity wanted

6. Plots • Log10 Plot This first plot track the dissipation of stress in the system. • Relation Length Distance Plot This second plot display the distribution of the relation (i.e., link) length.  The distribution is plotted for three different types of relations: 1) relations between similar group 2) relations between different groups 3) relations for the whole population • Average Relation Length Plot This third plot gives the average relation length of the three relations groups (specified above). • Correlation Function This plot graph the number of neighbors each person has within a certain distance from themselves.

7. Results • System does not stabilizes till stress is completely dissipated • Bonds are continuously breaking due to stress • In a homogenous system (society), the relation length is 1 • People don’t need to travel far to find a happy community • In a more diverse system (society), there observe some major differences • The relation length has a broader distribution. • The broader distribution is contributed by diversity and intolerance. • Observe that the contribution to the large relation length count is often due to one person’s connection to many other persons of different group. • Stress eventually broke all bonds and long distance relations can only be maintained when stress have completely dissipated.

8. Results • Looking at the correlation graph, we find that similar relations have a higher close neighbor count than dissimilar relations. • This suggests that similar people are attracted to one another while dissimilar people repel one another. • Higher percentage of similar wanted (or intolerance level) also increases relations length for both similar and dissimilar relations • Critical point at 50% • Suggest that people have to wander around longer to find their desired community and along the way make more connections