Why Rumours Go Viral: How Online Networks Help Stories Spread
Short whispers online can become loud fast.
A few people sharing a message can spark a chain that reaches thousands, because many social sites act like scale-free networks where a handful of users have many links and most have few.
In these webs small changes matter; sometimes there is a clear threshold — if sharing is too weak the message dies out, but above that it grows.
On networks with big hubs the threshold looks almost gone, so a rumor often keeps moving.
That means rumours travel quicker on these networks than on random ones, and when popular users connect with other popular users the spread gets even faster, making stories feel viral.
Final reach depends on how the network is wired and how eager people are to pass it on; sometimes more links means more reach, sometimes not.
These patterns help explain why chain messages, viral posts and quick info bursts behave the way they do online, and why some small stories turn into big ones real fast.
Read article comprehensive review in Paperium.net:
Theory of Rumour Spreading in Complex Social Networks
🤖 This analysis and review was primarily generated and structured by an AI . The content is provided for informational and quick-review purposes.
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