An SEIR model for information propagation with a hot search effect in complex networks

Abstract

We formulate an SEIR model for information propagation with the effect of a hot search in complex networks. Mathematical analysis is conducted in both a homogeneous network and heterogenous network. The results reveal that the dynamics are completely determined by the basic propagation number if the effect of a hot search is absent. On the other hand, when the effect of a hot search is taken into account, there exists no information-free equilibrium, and the information-propagating equilibrium is stable if the threshold is greater than 1. Numerical simulations were performed to examine the sensitivity of the parameters to the basic propagation number and the propagable nodes. Furthermore, the proposed model has been applied to fit the collected data for two types of information spreading in Sina Weibo, which confirmed the validity of our model and simulated the dynamical behaviors of information propagation.

Keywords

• information propagation
• online social networks
• hot search effect
• dynamics
• case study