How does silence impact consensus in social networks?
The Sound of Silence in Social Networks
October 28, 2024
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.19685This research extends the classic DeGroot model for simulating opinion dynamics in social networks to incorporate the "Spiral of Silence" theory. It presents two new models (SOM¯, SOM+) where agents can choose to remain silent if their opinions don't align with the perceived majority.
For LLM-based multi-agent systems, this work highlights that even limited memory of past interactions (as in SOM+) can significantly impact the system's dynamics, making consensus harder to achieve. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of network structure and agent positioning in influencing overall opinion formation, especially when dealing with scenarios of vocal minorities or echo chambers.