Static and Dynamic Structure Characteristics of a Trust Network and Formation of User Trust in an Online Society

This study investigated the characteristics and formation of the online social trust network of Epinions.com, a general consumer review site. An analysis of the static structure of this social trust network revealed a high clustering coefficient, short average path length, and power-law degree distribution; it is therefore a small-world and scale-free trust network. The dynamic evolutionary characteristics of the online social network (OSN) were also examined. The results showed that the scale of the network followed a sigmoidal curve; the average degree of the network was nonconstant and changed into a bell-shaped distribution; the density of the network decreased and subsequently stabilized; and user trust diffusion in the network conformed to the Bass model. Finally, the formation of trust within the network was researched at the overall network (macro) and individual user (micro) levels. Compared with their accumulated contribution and reputation, user activeness had a larger effect on trust formation in OSNs, indicating a “diminishing returns” phenomenon. This phenomenon contrasts with the Matthew effect (i.e. , the more reputation a person has, the more likely he or she is to be trusted) in real-world social networks.