Competition and multiscaling in evolving networks

Abstract

The rate at which nodes in a network increase their connectivity depends on their fitness to compete for links. For example, in social networks some individuals acquire more social links than others, or on the www some webpages attract considerably more links than others. We find that this competition for links translates into multiscaling, i.e. a fitness-dependent dynamic exponent, allowing fitter nodes to overcome the more connected but less fit ones. Uncovering this fitter-gets-richer phenomenon can help us understand in quantitative terms the evolution of many competitive systems in nature and society.