There are four types of influence you can have in a network. The most basic one is just pure popularity, but this is only one type and it's growing exponentially. diffusion centrality asks not just how well connected I'm in terms of my direct friends,. But the second-order friends of friends, third- order friends of friends of friends. It might be that somebody has a lot of fans, but those fans aren't good at spreading things.
A key part of complexity science is understanding the behaviour of networks. Networks are groups of interacting agents, and they're all around us; our friendship groups, our colleagues, and even interactions online are all examples of networks. But what role does influence and power play in these networks?
In today's episode, we're joined by Matthew Jackson, William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University, and External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute. Matthew is going to break down the key factors of a network, with an example from all the way back in the 1400s, featuring the Medici family. He'll explain how Cosimo de’ Medici used his network to wield power, and what about his network made it so successful.
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