A study reveals how social networks affect the diversity of opinions

Sociodiversity, which refers to the diversity of opinions, ideas, and human behaviors, is a crucial driving force behind many positive advancements. But how can this diversity be maintained, or even encouraged, in our increasingly connected societies?


In a recently published study in the Journal of the Royal Society Open Science, Dirk Helbing and his colleague discovered that sociodiversity is less prevalent in centralized social networks, where a few key figures are connected to many people. These networks, often seen on platforms like Instagram and X, reinforce the "rich-get-richer" phenomenon.

According to Andrea Musso, this phenomenon amplifies centralization and stifles minority opinions, thus reducing sociodiversity. In these networks, minority opinions are quickly overwhelmed by those of the majority, which can lead to the loss of valuable ideas. Therefore, it is crucial to create spaces where new ideas can emerge without being immediately confronted by the majority.

To promote sociodiversity, Musso suggests decentralizing social networks. A simple action such as unfollowing certain influencers can foster a greater diversity of ideas, leading to more innovation and economic prosperity.

The researchers used a new method to evaluate a network's ability to foster sociodiversity, validated on both synthetic and real networks. Their method demonstrated that different networks exhibit radically different levels of diversity, even with similar rates of imitation and innovation.

The results of this study show that the structure of social networks plays a crucial role in maintaining the diversity of opinions. This research has significant implications not only for opinion formation but also for various fields such as disease propagation, disaster response effectiveness, and the emergence of cooperation.