Damon Centola

Networks

Network science is a growing field of interest ranging from sociology to physics. A primary goal of this field is to understand how the connectedness of a population (the topological structure of social ties) affects whether, and how fast, information, diseases, and behaviors will spread. My research on the dynamics of diffusion across social networks has implications for developing public health interventions, promoting products, and understanding cultural diffusion and social integration.

Failure in Complex Social Networks
Journal of Mathematical Sociology (2009)
Damon Centola
Scale-free networks can be far more vulnerable to failure due to random attacks than more homogeneously distributed exponential networks.

Homophily, Cultural Drift, and the Co-Evolution of Cultural Groups
Journal of Conflict Resolution (2007)
Damon Centola, Juan Carlos Avella, Victor Eguiluz, and Maxi San Miguel
Allowing networks to evolve endogenously provides a mechanism for understanding how the "homogenizing" forces of homophily and social influence can produce cultural diversity.

Complex Contagions and the Weakness of Long Ties
American Journal of Sociology (2007)
Damon Centola and Michael Macy
When behavioral adoption requires peer reinforcement, adding weak ties to a social network can actually slow down (and even prevent entirely) the diffusion process.

Cascade Dynamics of Complex Propagation
Physica A (2007)
Damon Centola, Victor Eguiluz, and Michael Macy
Randomizing permutations on ordered social networks can cause phase transitions in the collective dynamics of diffusion.