Research On Public Formation Of Microblogging In The View Of Multi-agent Simulation

As a representative of the new media, microblog has become started place andmessage source of many public events. Opinions in microblog have the characteristics ofwide influence and fast propagation velocity because of the huge user group and fission ofinformation dissemination way. However, less criterion of network along with theconcealment of users’ identities make it easily become a hotbed of rumor spread. In order toplay the positive role of public opinion in microblog and create a good environment for it, itis necessary to understand the opinion formation mechanism thoroughly of microblog.We use multi-agent modeling technology, combined with dynamic public opinion andsocial network theory, to design bottom-up model. First of all we regard individual users asthe research object and individuals’ connection forms small world network topology. Then,Fans agents change their opinions according to their affinity with the agents they concernedand they choose the concerned agents to follow their opinions if the social temperaturebetween them is smallest. Agents change opinions with opinion updating equation like theychoose opinions with social temperature equation.Simulation results show that while public opinion presents different opinion dynamicand results, there are some common features. First, generally opinions evolve from a stateof disorder to that of order. Second, opinions have the characteristic of group polarizationand polarization resolution, spiral of silence and spiral of silence resolution. They occuralternately instead of appearing single characteristic. Third, users’ interaction and publicopinion dynamic emerge some laws and orders spontaneously. For example, participantswho have similar cognitive structure have the similar information selection and havesimilar views on a particular issue as well so that they form a group or camp. Opinions ofdifferent groups constantly compete with each other, by a process of survival of the fittest,and finally public opinion is formed. The spontaneous order is the first cause of theformation of public opinion.