Does the Expanding of Range of Information Aggregation bring in Cultural Diversity?

Abstract

In this study, we developed an applied model using Axelrod's model for the dissemination of culture, aimed at understanding the effect of information recommendation on social media. Social media is a media that enables individuals to transmit and receive information. People are influenced by one another through the communication with others on the social media. The information recommendation of social media is a valuable function that assists individuals in choosing the preferable information from a massive amount of information. However, the information recommendation automatizes the decision-making process of individuals. Also, there is a concern that excessive use of information recommendation encourages conforming behavior to the view of a majority. To address the problem above, it is needed to investigate how the information recommendation influences individuals' opinions or interests and, at the same time, to understand how its influence is related to the cultural diversity of the whole site. We expressed social media as a range of feedback of information in the model. A large feedback range expresses a mass media, and a small feedback range expresses a restrictive communication among friends. As a result of the analysis, we found out that the aggregated information in the group of middle-range was very useful in order to bring in the cultural diversity.