Influence maximization with deactivation in social networks

TitleInfluence maximization with deactivation in social networks
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsTanınmış, K., N. Aras, and K. I. Altinel
JournalEuropean Journal of Operational Research
Volume278
Pagination105-119
ISSN0377-2217
KeywordsBilevel modeling, Influence maximization, Matheuristics, Metaheuristics, Stochastic optimization
Abstract

In this paper, we consider an extension of the well-known Influence Maximization Problem in a social network which deals with finding a set of k nodes to initiate a diffusion process so that the total number of influenced nodes at the end of the process is maximized. The extension focuses on a competitive variant where two decision makers are involved. The first one, the leader, tries to maximize the total influence spread by selecting the most influential nodes and the second one, the follower, tries to minimize it by deactivating some of these nodes. The formulated bilevel model is solved by complete enumeration for small-sized instances and by a matheuristic for large-sized instances. In both cases, the lower level problem, which is a stochastic optimization problem, is approximated via the Sample Average Approximation method.

URLhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221719303303
DOI10.1016/j.ejor.2019.04.010