Complex networks approach for studying polarization in different social groups

We study the emergence of polarization in a social group characterized by the specific network topology. We propose a discrete-time model to describe the individuals' opinion state evolution. We consider the size and the average degree of each network for comparing how these variables influence the polarization. To complete our description of how the polarization occurs, we introduce the concept of susceptible individuals becoming zealots and intransigents that allows us to obtain an index to measure such a polarization index as a function of the susceptible individuals' fraction present at the beginning of each numerical experiment. With all these elements, we determine how the social group is polarized. We emphasize the susceptible individuals' fraction's essential role in triggering the polarization. On the other hand, it is interesting to point out that, in general, the polarization decreases as the number of nodes and the average degree increase except small-world networks, which enhance the appearance of polarization.