Network public opinion propagation model based on the influence of media and interpersonal communication

Abstract

With the rapid development of the Internet, social media networks have become the primary platform for people to express their views. In addition, network public opinion has a considerable influence on society. Thus, considering the significant impact of online public opinion on society, it is necessary to study and analyze the propagation process for public opinion. In this study, we propose the Media and Interpersonal Relationship-SEIR (MI-SEIR) model based on the SEIR model. Our proposed model considers the impact of media transmission and interpersonal relationships on opinion propagation. Our MI-SEIR model divides the propagation nodes into three categories: support, neutral and opposition. There is a discussion mechanism between these nodes that represents the node’s viewpoint value evolution rule based on the node firmness, influence of nodes, quality of media coverage and parameters of infection. The state transition of nodes is decided based on the change of opinion value. Our simulation experimental results show that this model is more representative of the real propagation of online public opinion and is thus of practical significance for research and opinion analysis applications.