Collective Attention through Public Displays

The dynamics of collective attention emerging out of individual viewing experiences from public displays appear to be among the most demanding challenges in understanding the mechanisms of self-adaptation of public opinion. In this paper we approach a model of collective attention from observations of the attention of individuals estimated from their efforts expressing interest. Extending on SEEV, an established individual attention model from cognitive science, attention estimates from spontaneous passer-bys in front of public displays are used to describe a collective attention model at the scale of society. The model is validated via a large scale simulation experiment reflecting the demographics and the morphology of a whole city, together with population densities, mobility patterns and individual decision making on a 2048 node shared memory multiprocessor (SGI Altix Ultra Violet 1000, Repast HPC). Simulations how collective attention emerges from local spots of attention towards city scale opinion building and consensus finding.