A framework of opinion dynamics using fuzzy linguistic 2-tuples

Abstract

Opinion dynamics investigate the spreading and evolution of opinions among a set of individuals. This is especially relevant in decision-making — the process of selecting an alternative from a set of possible options —, that is commonly based on personal opinions which may evolve along time. In this work, we present a model of opinion dynamics where opinions are represented using fuzzy linguistic 2-tuples, a realistic representation of imprecise information. In our framework, the propagation of opinions in the communication is divided into three independent sub-processes. Additionally, we use a social network to represent agents’ interactions and an awareness deactivation mechanism to model the awareness dynamics in the system (i.e., options for which agents have opinions). Our opinion dynamics model can be easily integrated into an agent-based system to how opinions spread and evolve. Experimental results show the impact of the communication processes, the social network topology, the awareness deactivation mechanism, and the agents’ influence on the opinion dynamics of others. Furthermore, we present two case studies of our opinion dynamics model applied to marketing and politics.