Beyond binary opinion dynamics

Much of the literature on modeling of opinion dynamics is related to binary choices. In fact, many problems of opinion formation can be treated from the perspective of two alternatives (e.g., for and against). However, people are frequently challenged to choose one among, not just two but, several alternatives, sometimes with similar attractiveness. Even when the alternatives are only two, indecision and indifference constitute additional positions beyond a purely binary scenario.

In this context, we introduced and studied different models of opinion formation that contemplate multiple states. For instance, we considered the case in which opinions evolve through a plurality rule, in another case, equations are inspired in multi-species population dynamics. Outcomes were confronted with real data analysis (from sources such as IMDb, Google, e-commerce, electoral votes).

I aim to give an overview of our main results in this topic.