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Information Phase Transitions and Epistemic Injustice in Massive Data: Validating the Signal Cliff Based on the Ising
1Faculty of Sociology, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan.
Abstract:
In the era of big data, the Law of Large Numbers is often treated as an absolute guarantee that increasing sample size (N) leads to a more accurate representation of truth. However, this study challenges this paradigm by demonstrating that in social systems characterized by conformity pressure and systemic bias, the maximization of N paradoxically triggers a structural shift in the selection and filtration of information. Using a sociophysical framework based on statistical mechanics and opinion dynamics, we identify a critical threshold-the "Signal Cliff"-where the diversity of information plummets and minority signals are irreversibly discarded as statistical noise. By executing large-scale simulations up to N=1010 via macro-dynamic approximations, we observe a phase transition from a stochastic phase of informational diversity to a deterministic phase. This collapse of Shannon entropy serves as a mathematical demonstration of "Epistemic Injustice," where the sheer scale of data acts as a mechanism for silencing minority perspectives. We propose "Informational Health Diagnostics" as a necessary framework for evaluating the integrity of decision-making processes in digital public opinion and democratic elections. This approach provides a vital benchmark for distinguishing between a healthy consensus and a distorted convergence, ensuring robust information judgment in increasingly complex data-driven environments.
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