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Published on: October 29, 2016
Community structure-regulation coupling reveals optimal information diffusion
Xiaojie Chen1,2, Meiling Xie1, Jun Meng3
1School of Systems Science/Institute of Nonequilibrium Systems, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China.
Nature Communications
|June 2, 2026
Summary
We developed a framework to regulate information spread in social networks by tuning interventions within and between communities. This approach identifies low-cost strategies for effective containment, revealing distinct diffusion regimes.
Area of Science:
- Complex systems science
- Network science
- Information diffusion modeling
Background:
- Effective regulation of information diffusion in social systems is crucial but challenging.
- The interplay between network community structure and targeted interventions is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a framework integrating community structure and regulation for analyzing information diffusion.
- To understand how tuning interventions within and across communities affects information spread.
Main Methods:
- Developed the community structure-regulation coupling framework (COSREF).
- Analyzed the interplay between network topology and two regulation parameters (within- and cross-community transmission).
- Validated predictions using simulations and analyses of large real-world social networks.
Main Results:
- Identified three distinct diffusion regimes: no, localized, and global diffusion, separated by abrupt transitions.
- Revealed a low-cost intervention region enabling containment with small, targeted adjustments.
- Demonstrated the framework's robustness across different network topologies.
Conclusions:
- The structure-regulation perspective offers general principles for efficient and robust regulation of modular systems.
- COSREF unifies network topology and regulation within a single theoretical setting.
- The findings are applicable to real-world information environments and intervention strategies.
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