MPhys Project Theoretical Physics: Structure and Dynamics in Complex Networks Opinion Dynamics on Networks with Community Structure

The study of networks has concentrated on their complex (i.e. topologically non-trivial) structure on the one hand and dynamics on networks on the other hand. Only a little is known about the actual interplay of complex network structure and dynamics. We will investigate this for the case of opinion dynamics on social networks with community structure. Therefore, we work with two opinion models, the well-known voter model and the new “travelling competitors model ” and examine the opinion spreading in the communities. Results from computer simulations (for both models) and analytical calcu-lations (for the voter model) are presented and interpreted in the context of social integration. 1