Theoretical Physics Seminar: Deepak Bhat

Recent studies have reported that the US public is more politically polarized than before. Motivated by these observations, we investigated the opinion dynamics using a generalized Voter Model and study the approach to polarization and consensus. We identified two key features which cause the polarization: (i) weak interconnections between two groups of voters and (ii) the severe influence of antagonistic external sources (e.g. news media). These factors are also found to hinder the approach to consensus. I will also discuss the other interesting findings of our study in this talk.