Opinion dynamics with popularity and similarity

We study an opinion formation model with the coevolution of network structures and opinions. The links formed among the agents are based on the popularity of the nodes and the similarity of their opinions, and in return, opinions change in response to the network structure. We find that the pursuit of popularity accelerates the convergence, while the pursuit of similarity slows down the convergence. In addition, the whole group convergence more quickly with a larger number of neighbors. We also investigate neighbor-preserving strategies, and find that maintaining a nonzero number of neighbors could lead to faster convergence.