Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7538509 | Social Networks | 2016 | 14 Pages |
Abstract
Humans make mistakes but diffusion through social networks is typically modeled as though they do not. We find in an experiment that high entropy message formats (text messaging pidgin) are more prone to error than lower entropy formats (standard English). We also find that efforts to correct mistakes are effective, but generate more mutant forms of the contagion than would result from a lack of correction. This indicates that the ability of messages to cross “small-world” human social networks may be overestimated and that failed error corrections create new versions of a contagion that diffuse in competition with the original.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Mathematics
Statistics and Probability
Authors
Matthew E. Brashears, Eric Gladstone,