Work

On the Complexity of the Bipartite Polarization Problem: From Neutral to Highly Polarized Discussions

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The bipartite polarization problem is an optimization problem where the goal is to find the highest polarized bipartition on a weighted and labeled graph that represents a debate developed through some social network, where nodes represent user’s opinions and edges agreement or disagreement between users. This problem can be seen as a generalization of the maxcut problem, and in previous work, approximate solutions and exact solutions have been obtained for real instances obtained from Reddit discussions, showing that such real instances seem to be very easy to solve. In this paper, we further investigate the complexity of this problem by introducing an instance generation model where a single parameter controls the polarization of the instances in such a way that this correlates with the average complexity to solve those instances. The average complexity results we obtain are consistent with our hypothesis: the higher the polarization of the instance, the easier is to find the corresponding polarized bipartition. In view of the experimental results, it is computationally feasible to implement transparent mechanisms to monitor polarization on online discussions and to inform about solutions for creating healthier social media environments.

Source: Algorithms

DOI: 10.3390/a17080369

Authors: Teresa Alsinet, Josep Argelich, Ramón Béjar, Santi Martínez

Institution: Universitat de Lleida

Language: English

Topic: Complexity and Algorithms in Graphs

Subfield: Computational Theory and Mathematics

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,819

Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Agencia Estatal de Investigación