147645 20260217205537.0 doi 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111098 sideral 141102 ART-2024-141102 eng Ferraz de Arruda, Henrique Echo chamber formation sharpened by priority users 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted On social media platforms, priority users (e.g., verified profiles on X) are users whose posts are promoted by recommendation algorithms. However, their influence on opinion dynamics, in particular polarization and echo chamber formation, is not well understood. Through computational modeling, we investigate this influence in a stylized setting. By introducing priority user accounts, we find that prioritization can mitigate polarization. However, by incorporating stubborn user behavior, we find that the results change and that priority accounts can exacerbate the formation of echo chambers. In other words, a minority of extremist ideologues can trigger a transition from consensus to polarization. Our study suggests careful monitoring of platform prioritization policies to prevent potential misuse of users with enhanced influence. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E36-23R-FENOL info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/FONDO-C19-UZ-164255 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2020-115800GB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/UZ-SANTANDER/2020-0274 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.es 4.1 2024 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES 22 / 136 = 0.162 2024 Q1 T1 1.363 2024 Multidisciplinary 2024 Q1 6.9 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Andrade Oliveira, Kleber Moreno, Yamir Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-0895-1893 2004 405 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Física Teórica Área Física Teórica 27, 11 (2024), 111098 [15 pp.] iScience ISCIENCE 2589-0042 3589135 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/147645/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 1159725 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/147645/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:147645 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:34:40 ARTICLE