Dynamical Analysis of an SE2IR Information Propagation Model in Social Networks

Abstract

Due to the inequality of users’ (nodes’) status and the influence of external forces in the progress of the information propagation in a social network, the infected nodes hold different levels of propagation capacity. For this reason, the infected nodes are classified into two categories: the high influential infected nodes and the ordinary influential infected nodes which separately account for 20% and 80% by Pareto’s principle. By borrowing the SEIR epidemic model, this paper proposes an SE2IR information propagation model. Meanwhile, the global asymptotical stabilities of the spread-free equilibrium point and local spread equilibrium point are proved for this model. This paper also puts forward a series of information control strategies including perceived values of users, social reinforcement intensity, and information timeliness in the social network. Through simulation experiments without or with control strategies on a real company e-mail network dataset, this paper verifies the stability and correctness of the model and the feasibility and effectiveness of the control strategies in the information propagation process, presenting that the model is closer to the real process of the information propagation in the social network.