Physical Proximity and Spreading in Dynamic Social Networks
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.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1509.06530,
title = {Physical Proximity and Spreading in Dynamic Social Networks},
author = {Arkadiusz Stopczynski and Alex Sandy Pentland and Sune Lehmann},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1509.06530},
year = {2015}
}