Opinion formation on the social networks with geographic structure

Abstract

Opinion formation is the result of co-evolution of individual behavior and environment. Individual behavior is determined by its rational cognition and irrational emotion. Environment includes culture, cognitive and behavioral patterns and social interactions. Culture and cognitive patterns are usually related to the spatial factors. In this paper, a social network with geographical factors is constructed. Together with the Ising model in networks, the effects of both spatial and social factors on opinion formation are investigated. The phase transition in the process of opinion formation is studied. The results indicate that both spatial cultural background and global preference for public opinion are crucial to opinion formation.