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Optimizing the choice of influential nodes for diffusion on a social network
Author(s) -
Agha Mohammad Ali Kermani Mehrdad,
Aliahmadi Alireza,
Hanneman Robert
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of communication systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.344
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1099-1131
pISSN - 1074-5351
DOI - 10.1002/dac.3090
Subject(s) - computer science , probabilistic logic , set (abstract data type) , integer programming , mathematical optimization , integer (computer science) , social network (sociolinguistics) , message passing , operations research , distributed computing , algorithm , artificial intelligence , social media , mathematics , world wide web , programming language
Summary An optimization approach is taken to locating the optimal set of initial contacts in a social network to maximize the number of total network members reached by a message. It is assumed that initial contacts are costly and that the number of initial contacts must be minimized simultaneously with maximizing the total number of network members contacted. A bi‐objective probabilistic integer programming model is developed that assumes that actors are heterogeneous in the probability that they will pass messages along their ego networks. Considering the complexity of solving the proposed model, it reformulated as a pure integer programming model. The algorithm is illustrated by the analysis of message passing in a short‐message system (texting) among university students. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.