Modeling Information Cocoons in Networked Populations: Insights From Backgrounds and Preferences

Abstract

The formation of information cocoons, driven by limited disclosure and individual preferences, has resulted in the polarization of society. However, the underlying mechanisms and pathways to escape these cocoons remain unresolved. This article aims to solve it by developing an adaptive imitation process. In this process, the measurement of information cocoons across the population is based on Shannon's information entropy, taking into account neighborhood information. Incorporating the Dirac function to formulate information distribution over networks, theoretical results are validated by numerical simulation experiments. Results show that individual backgrounds and preferences are crucial factors in the formation of information cocoons, and the severity of information cocoon production increases with an individual capacity to stick to oneself. Encouraging connections among diverse communities can effectively mitigate the intensity of information cocoons. This research contributes to the advancement of computational communication systems and offers insights toward dismantling informational boundaries.