Dynamics of 2SIH2R Rumor-Spreading Model in a Heterogeneous Network

Due to the development of social media, the threshold for information dissemination has become lower than ever before. As a special kind of information, rumors are usually harmful and are usually accompanied by a high degree of ambiguity that makes them difficult to immediately identify, but “rumors stop at wise men.” When someone identifies a rumor as false and begins spreading the truth instead, a confrontational relationship obtains between the rumor and the truth that leads to the stifling of the former. Given this, we developed a 2SIH2R model in this study that contains mechanisms of discernment and confrontation in a heterogeneous network to examine the dissemination of the rumor and the truth. By using mean-field equations of the 2SIH2R model, the threshold of the spreading of each can be determined separately in three cases. The results of a numerical simulation show that under the same conditions, the greater is the mechanism of discernment or confrontation, the smaller is the instantaneous maximum influence and the final range of influence of the rumor. It can be also concluded that the earlier release of the truth about the event by the government can significantly control the rumor. Secondly, it is more effective to publish the truth in advance than after the rumor has appeared. Thirdly, it is more important for the government to increase education and improve the ability of citizens to reveal the rumor than to increase the spread of the truth after the rumor occurs. These results can be used to help reduce the harmful effects of rumors.