Anti-rumor dynamics and emergence of the timing threshold on complex network

Abstract Anti-rumor dynamics is proposed on the basis of rumor dynamics and the characteristics of anti-rumor dynamics are explored by both mean-field equations and numerical simulations on complex network. The main metrics we study are the timing effect of combating rumor and the identification of influential nodes, which are what an efficient strategy against rumor may concern about. The results indicate that, there exists robust time dependence of anti-rumor dynamics and the timing threshold emerges as a consequence of launching the anti-rumor at different delay time after the beginning of rumor spreading. The timing threshold as a critical feature is further verified on a series of Barabasi–Albert scale-free networks (BA networks), where anti-rumor dynamics arises explicitly. The timing threshold is a network-dependent quantity and its value decreases as the average degree of the BA network increases until close to zero. Meanwhile, coreness also constitutes a better topological descriptor to identify hubs. Our results will hopefully be useful for the understanding of spreading behaviors of rumor and anti-rumor and suggest a possible avenue for further study of interplays of multiple pieces of information on complex network.