Modeling social dynamics: consensus/fragmentation via repeated exchange of opinions

When does an opinion formation process within an interacting group lead to consensus, polarization or fragmentation? In this talk, I will discuss several models for the dynamics of continuous opinions of individuals influenced by exchange of ideas and information within the corresponding social group.

One specific class of models assumes bounded confidence interactions where any single individual’s opinion can only be affected by opinions that are relatively similar to their own. I will discuss the convergence properties of such models and show a few computer simulations. The talk will be mostly expository.