Ising-Like Agent-Based Technology Diffusion Model: Adoption Patterns Vs. Seeding Strategies

The well-known Ising model used in statistical physics was adapted to a social dynamics context to simulate the adoption of a technological innovation. The model explicitly combines an individual's perception of the advantages of an innovation and social influence from members of the decision-maker's social network. The micro-level adoption dynamics are embedded into an agent-based model that allows exploration of macro-level patterns of technology diffusion throughout systems with different configurations (number and distributions of early adopters, social network topologies).