Rumor propagation in two-layer complex networks

School of Science, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications - Beijing, 100876, PRC

^(a) E-mail: haihongli@bupt.edu.cn (corresponding author)

Received: 31 December 2022
Accepted: 10 May 2023

Abstract

With the development of information networks, the study on rumor propagation attracts more and more attention. In this paper, we investigate rumor propagation in two-layer complex networks with three groups of agents: spreaders, ignorants, and refuters. Considering that rumor spreading and rumor refutation are realized in different ways in real life, we assume that rumor spreads in ER layer while it is refuted in SF layer. There are three types of states in the evolution of the system after a period of transient time: 1) all individuals become refuters; 2) ignorants coexist with refuters; 3) three types of individuals coexist. The simulation results demonstrate that high refuting rate and slow spreading rate exert positive effect on the coexistence state in which spreaders, ignorants, and refuters coexist. We discuss the effects of propagation model parameters, initial densities of different agents and the topological properties of networks on the rumor propagation. We find that the probability of an agent becoming a spreader is determined by his neighbors in the SF layer. The deciding factor is the sum of degrees in the ER layer of these neighbors.