Opinion diffusion in two-layer interconnected networks

In reality, individuals will spread their opinions by word of mouth, meanwhile sharing their opinions on social platforms. To gain a clear insight into this kind of behavior, we propose a diffusion model of various opinions in a two-layer interconnected network using some statistical characteristics of network structures. Theoretical analysis reveals that the final fraction of any opinion in one layer will get identical to that of the same opinion in the other layer. In particular, when the seed fraction of an opinion in one layer is different from that in the other layer, the diffusion behavior and final prevalence of opinions not only rely on the seed fractions of opinions, but also depend on the attributes of individuals that are active on different layers, including their inter-layer linking patterns and linking number. Further analysis shows that mass media will promote the spread of the opinion that is in accordance with its own. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of analytical results by simulating the spread of two opinions under four inter-layer linking patterns on three types of two-layer interconnected networks. The findings throw new light on some interesting phenomena in society, and facilitate decision-makers to orientate the prevalence of a special product.