Analyzing the Coevolution of Mobile Application Diffusion and Social Network: A Multi-Agent Model

Entropy (Basel). 2021 Apr 24;23(5):521. doi: 10.3390/e23050521.

Abstract

The successful diffusion of mobile applications in user groups can establish a good image for enterprises, gain a good reputation, fight for market share, and create commercial profits. Thus, it is of great significance for the successful diffusion of mobile applications to study mobile application diffusion and social network coevolution. Firstly, combined with a social network's dynamic change characteristics in real life, a mobile application users' social network evolution mechanism was designed. Then, a multi-agent model of the coevolution of a social network and mobile application innovation diffusion was constructed. Finally, the impact of mobile applications' value perception revenue, use cost, marketing promotion investment, and the number of seed users on the coevolution of social network and mobile application diffusion were analyzed. The results show that factors such as the network structure, the perceived value income, the cost of use, the marketing promotion investment, and the number of seed users have an important impact on mobile application diffusion.

Keywords: coevolution; innovation diffusion; mobile application; multi-agent; social network.