Mason A Porter: Opinion Dynamics on Networks
Digital Futures Distinguished Lecture
Time: Thu 2026-10-15 12.00 - 13.00
Location: KTH, Digital Futures hub, Osquars Backe 5, floor 2
Participating: Mason A. Porter (Stockholm University and Nordita)
Prof. Mason A. Porter has recently been recruited to Nordita / Stockholm University with the support of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Wallenberg Initiative on Networks and Quantum Information) and is now giving a Digital Futures Distinguished Lecture.
Abstract: In mathematical models of opinion dynamics, individuals interact with each other and adjust their opinions based on their interactions. In opinion models, network structures determine which individuals can interact with each other and thereby affect how opinions change with time.
In this talk, I will introduce opinion models and why scientists study them. I will also discuss several variants of bounded-confidence models (BCMs), in which opinions take continuous values in a region, and I will examine how network structure affects the formation of consensus, polarization, and fragmentation of populations.
Registration: If you register, there is a free lunch at 11:45.
For more information and registration, see the Digital Futures calendar .