Dynamics of the formation of social groups and adjustment of characteristics of individuals in the process of them uniting into groups

Abstract

Subject. This article discusses the agent-based model describing the process when two or more individuals meet for the first time and form a small social group based on interests. It is assumed that when they get to know each other, they exchange information about certain phenomena of the surrounding world and their attitudes to them. The article describes a study which involved simulation of the process of how the significance of these phenomena in their understanding of the surrounding world by each individual changes as a result of such interactions. Purpose. To determine the possibility of the formation of interest groups in a random sample of individuals and the nature of changes in their attitudes to the world as a result of several consecutive interactions between them within the paradigm of agent-based models. Results. The method of hierarchical cluster analysis revealed stable interest groups which were formed within a random sample of individuals. A series of interactions between the participants of these groups significantly expanded the range of the participants’ ideas about the surrounding world and their confidence that their attitudes to the phenomena of the surrounding world were right. Conclusions. It was shown that groups of individuals with completely opposite characteristics can emerge even in a random sample of individuals. What is more, the participants of each group will have similar ideas about the surrounding world. It was also shown that repeated interactions between the individuals within these groups boost their confidence about their attitudes to certain phenomena of the surrounding world. It was noted that currently the Internet is an important platform for such interactions.

Keywords

• agent-based models
• social groups
• principal components method
• personality structure
• thesaurus