The advent of social media platforms has revolutionized information consumption patterns, with individuals frequently engaging in these platforms for social interactions. This trend has fostered an environment where people gravitate towards information that aligns with their preconceived notions, leading to the formation of echo chambers and polarization within the society. Recently introduced activity-driven models have been successful in capturing the dynamics of information propagation and polarization. The present study uses this model to explore cognitive inertia, which captures the tendency of individuals to maintain (positive) or shift away (negative) from their prior beliefs. In the case of positive cognitive inertia, individuals are more likely to maintain their current beliefs, becoming resistant to external influences and reinforcing polarization. In contrast, negative cognitive inertia reflects a tendency to move away from prior opinions, promoting the reconsideration or rejection of previously held views. A supercritical pitchfork bifurcation is observed, triggering a transition from polarization to consensus. The transition points from polarization to consensus are derived analytically and is validated through numerical simulations.

中文翻译：

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使用活动驱动模型探索舆论动态中的认知惯性


社交媒体平台的出现彻底改变了信息消费模式，个人经常参与这些平台进行社交互动。这种趋势培养了一种环境，人们倾向于与他们先入为主的观念相一致的信息，从而导致社会内部形成回音室和两极分化。最近引入的活动驱动模型已经成功地捕捉了信息传播和极化的动态。本研究使用这个模型来探索认知惯性，它捕捉了个体保持（积极）或远离（消极）他们先前信念的倾向。在积极认知惯性的情况下，个体更有可能维持他们目前的信念，对外部影响产生抵抗力并加强两极分化。相反，消极认知惯性反映了一种远离先前观点的倾向，促进了对先前持有的观点的重新考虑或拒绝。观察到超临界干草叉分叉，触发了从极化到共识的转变。从极化到共识的过渡点是通过分析得出的，并通过数值模拟进行验证。