Analyzing dynamics of peer-to-peer communication - From questionnaire surveys to agent-based simulation

This paper discusses dynamic properties of peer-to-peer communication networks, which emerge from information exchanges among people. First, we gather activity data of communication among people through questionnaires in order to categorize both information (contents) and people, then we develop agent-based simulation models to examine implicit mechanisms behind the dynamics. The agent-based models enable us to discover the quality of information exchanged and the preferences of specific communication groups. ne simulation results have suggested that 1) peer-to-peer communication networks have scale-free and small world properties, 2) the characteristics of contents and users are observed in word-of-mouth communications, and 3) the combination of real survey data and agent-based simulation is effective.