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Physical Proximity and Spreading in Dynamic Social Networks

Arkadiusz Stopczynski,A. Pentland,S. Lehmann

Published 2015 in arXiv.org

ABSTRACT

Most infectious diseases spread on a dynamic network of human interactions. Recent studies of social dynamics have provided evidence that spreading patterns may depend strongly on detailed micro-dynamics of the social system. We have recorded every single interaction within a large population, mapping out---for the first time at scale---the complete proximity network for a densely-connected system. Here we show the striking impact of interaction-distance on the network structure and dynamics of spreading processes. We create networks supporting close (intimate network, up to ~1m) and longer distance (ambient network, up to ~10m) modes of transmission. The intimate network is fragmented, with weak ties bridging densely-connected neighborhoods, whereas the ambient network supports spread driven by random contacts between strangers. While there is no trivial mapping from the micro-dynamics of proximity networks to empirical epidemics, these networks provide a telling approximation of droplet and airborne modes of pathogen spreading. The dramatic difference in outbreak dynamics has implications for public policy and methodology of data collection and modeling.

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    2015

  • Venue

    arXiv.org

  • Publication date

    2015-09-22

  • Fields of study

    Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Environmental Science

  • Identifiers
    arXiv 1509.06530
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

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