Rumor Dynamics with Acceptability Factor and Inoculation of Nodes in Scale Free Networks

Abstract

In the social networks, rumors can spread and affect the society. To characterize rumor propagation in scale free networks, we propose a rumor spreading model which uses the acceptability factor to control the rumor. In this model we introduced a new compartment of stiller who rejects the rumor in comparison with existing SIR model. An ignorant can reject the rumor and become stiller when it gets rumor from a spreader. In this proposed rumor spreading model, random, targeted and neighbor inoculation strategies have been applied to control rumor in the scale free networks. The targeted inoculation strategy has been found to be more successful to control the rumor. If there is no global information of the network then targeted inoculation strategy cannot be applied. For this, neighbor inoculation technique is being used in the proposed model. It has been found to be much more efficient than random inoculation but less efficient than targeted inoculation scheme. In this paper the rumor acceptability factor (1/δ) has been studied for inoculation strategies. It has found that decreasing the acceptability factor with the inoculation strategies is much more efficient in controlling the rumor.