Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In this article, we make an innovative adaptation of a Bayesian latent space model based on projections in a novel way to analyze influence networks. By appropriately reparameterizing the model, we establish a formal metric for quantifying each individual's influencing capacity and estimating their latent position embedded in a social space. This modeling approach introduces a novel mechanism for simulating the diffusion of an idea based on the estimated latent characteristics. It assumes that each individual takes the following states: Unknown, undecided, supporting, or rejecting an idea. This approach is demonstrated using an influence network from Twitter (now X) related to the 2022 Tax Reform in Colombia. An exhaustive simulation exercise is also performed to evaluate the proposed diffusion process.
Source: Journal of Applied Statistics
Authors: Samuel Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Juan Sosa, Carolina Luque
Institutions: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad EAN
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4411370536