1The Effect of Gossip on Social Networks

Abstract—In this paper we develop a simple model for the effect of gossip spread on social network structure. We define gossip as information passed between two individuals A and B about a third individual C which affects the strengths of all three relationships: it strengthens A-B and weakens both B-C and A-C. We find out that if gossip does not spread beyond simple triads, it destroys them but if gossip propagates through large dense clusters, it strengthens them. This work is novel in two respects. First, while past studies have looked at how network structure affects gossip spread, here we show how gossip spread affects network structure. And second, although there is previous theoretical work on how information or matter flowing through a network can change its structure, our contribution is to specifically model this process when the flow affects edges not necessarily along its direct path. Index Terms—Gossip, Social Networks, Network Dynamics I