External fields, independence, and disorder in q-voter models.

Abstract

Among the many social influences expressed in q-voter models, independent agents are responsible for disordered behavior in an otherwise consensus-prone scheme. Despite some parametrizations allowing the model to converge to any given stationary concentration, small perturbations in its parameters cause the model to suffer great variations in its outcome. This paper proposes that an external field may explain less unstable outcomes in the q-voter model. We soften independence to become skepticism, a phenomenon induced by an unreliable external field interference in social processes. The external field, analogous to mass media in real settings, leads to both quicker convergence to a fairly ordered state when independence is low, and to higher disorder whenever it is under moderate perceived unreliability of the external field.