Reducing diffusion time in attitude diffusion models through agenda setting

Attitude diffusion is when “attitudes” (general, relatively enduring evaluative responses to a topic) spread through a population. Attitudes play an incredibly important role in human decision making and are a critical part of social psychology. However, existing models of diffusion do not account for key differentiating aspects of attitudes. We develop the “Multi-Agent, Multi-Attitude” (MAMA) model which incorporates several of these key factors: (1) multiple, interacting attitudes; (2) social influence between individuals; and (3) media influence. All three components have strong support from the social science community. Using the MAMA model, we study influence maximization in a attitude diffusion setting where media influence is possible – we show that strategic manipulation of the media can lead to statistically significant decreases in diffusion of attitudes.