One Network to Rule Them All: Three Essays on Behaviors in Social Networks

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dc.contributor.advisorTombe, Trevor
dc.contributor.advisorRokne, Jon George
dc.contributor.authorEslami, Mojtaba
dc.contributor.committeememberOxoby, Robert
dc.contributor.committeememberSezer, Deniz
dc.contributor.committeememberKattan, Lina
dc.contributor.committeememberAgarwal, Nitin
dc.date2022-06
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-06T18:23:07Z
dc.date.available2022-05-06T18:23:07Z
dc.date.issued2022-05
dc.description.abstractThis thesis is an integration of research contributions on social networks and economic behaviors. The central recurring theme is showing how network structures affect individuals’ decision-making using game-theoretic approaches. Social variables such as friendship ties, and individuals’ social positions affect others’ behaviors. These variables are used in an interdisciplinary setting drawing insights from fields such as economics, social psychology, computer science, and mathematics. My aim is to highlight the importance of the very structures of social networks whose characteristics influence individuals’ behaviors. It is hard to discern these characteristics but the social structures can be mined to elicit such structures as individuals actively interact with them. The connections among individuals force us to ponder the consequences of actions in a broader sense. Although the social network paradigm doesn’t allow singled-out strategies they provide a holistic overview of social problems in general. Social networks break the symmetry of interactions among individuals. They allow more realistic standpoints for investigating some puzzling behavioral phenomena. Network economics shows the roles of individuals are underestimated in many mainstream models. We are small, but our measure is definitely not zero. Though individuals may seem to only communicate within their local circles, their interactions reverberate far and beyond affecting distant unknown individuals. Local behaviors do not necessarily translate into intended aggregate results. This is how the network structure interacts with individuals in an indiscernible way. In the first of the three research contributions, with the help of a game defined in an open-source software ecosystem, I structurally modified the network topology in order to manipulate the flow of the peer pressure on equilibrium. The second contribution illustrates that behavioral phenomena, such as pluralistic ignorance and the friendship paradox, can be explained by the help of the network paradigm. I proposed an effective strategy to create a significant change by targeting only a few carefully selected individuals. The third contribution focuses on the behavioral aspect of communications when conducted in a social network. I explained why people don’t say what they truly believe and how they would be able to balance their extreme thoughts through conversations.en_US
dc.identifier.citationEslami, M. (2022). One network to rule them all: three essays on behaviors in social networks (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39749
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114630
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyScienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectBehavioral Economicsen_US
dc.subjectEconomics of Networksen_US
dc.subjectSocial Dissenten_US
dc.subjectOpen Source Softwareen_US
dc.subjectCognitive Dissonanceen_US
dc.subjectSocial Dissonanceen_US
dc.subjectConsistency principleen_US
dc.subjectPluralistic Ignoranceen_US
dc.subjectSocial Psychologyen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Mathematicsen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Social Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationEconomicsen_US
dc.subject.classificationComputer Scienceen_US
dc.subject.classificationPsychologyen_US
dc.titleOne Network to Rule Them All: Three Essays on Behaviors in Social Networksen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEconomicsen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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