Imagine you're in a big group, and someone important—say, a news anchor—has an update. That person tells a few influential friends, who then share it with everyone else. This is how messages and opinions move around, according to something called mass media theory. Most models only look at how opini
Ever been in a chat group where everyone starts with different views? Scientists used the Deffuant model to study this on a social media-like network. They found that over time, people's opinions tend to move towards the average of their starting points. This is known as "focusing. " Just like when
Ever wondered how leaders' opinions spread in social groups? And how groups reach a consensus in big decisions, like elections? Experts have a cool way to explain this using something called "fuzzy opinion networks. " Let's start at the top. Imagine a leader with a strong opinion. This opinion isn'
Imagine you're trying to understand a big discussion, like the one about COVID-19. You read a summary, but it feels off somehow. That's because the summary might be leaving out important views. Researchers have noticed that even when opinions are pretty close, they don't always get a fair shake. It'
In Indonesia, a unique experiment was carried out on Twitter to see if celebrities can truly influence people's beliefs about vaccines. The study involved 46 famous figures and organizations, with a combined following of 7. 8 million. These celebrities agreed to randomly tweet or retweet messages pr
Diego Pavia, the star quarterback for Vanderbilt Commodores, is having an exceptional season. Despite the team's impressive record, which includes a recent win against the Auburn Tigers, there's talk about his gameplay. Pavia recently shared his thoughts on how public opinion affects him. During a c
On his show Real Time, Bill Maher had a casual chat with voters who are still unsure about their choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. He called these folks "the Christmas Eve shoppers of politics" because they wait until the very last minute to make up their minds. Maher understands their
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has a unique idea to spice up NBA games. He wants the league to allow more fights, similar to other sports like baseball or hockey. In a chat with NBC Sports Boston, Mazzulla shared that he believes a "little scuffle" adds entertainment value. He even mentioned show
In the swing state of Michigan, the 2024 presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is heating up. Just like in 2016 and 2020, Michigan is a crucial state for winning the presidency. Recently, a diverse group of Michigan voters — five independents, four Democrats, and two Republicans —
College football rankings can change without a team even playing. That’s what happened to Georgia, who moved up two spots to No. 2 without stepping on the field. Why? Because other teams like Penn State and Ohio State shifted around them. Penn State stayed at No. 3 after winning at Wisconsin, but Oh
