Interaction Dynamics of Adoption, Rejection and Hesitation of Sensible Online Circulating Information

Abstract

Online circulating ideas or information could be intrusive and could have dramatic effect on people believe, opinion or self-esteem; leading to deep frustration and uneasy social experiences. As the human mind is easy to manipulate, the acceptation, refutation or hesitation of new ideas circulating in online discussions and exchanges are highly vulnerable to organized disinformation campaigns and may present a severe threat to social wellbeing in a closed environment. In this article, we modeled the dynamic interaction of online circulating information or ideas adoption, hesitation and rejection based on a modified epidemic control model considering the effects of constant moderation and people inclination to accept or refute new ideas in function of their subjective biases. We performed qualitative analysis of the proposed interactive model and found that, the earlier people adopt new idea, the more likely the idea sustains itself. Moreover, early detection of potentially harmful ideas is crucial in improving the effectiveness of respective countermeasures designed to suppress targeted circulating harmful or subversive contents, depending on individuals’ discernment or critical thinking and the attractiveness of respective idea in comforting people in their biases or believe.

Keywords: online discussions, information propagation, idea rejection, epidemic control model