Consensus Analysis of the Leader-Follower Opinion Dynamics Model with Group Pressure

In this paper, we propose a novel leader-follower opinion dynamics model with group pressure on the basis of the HK model. Different from most existing papers, we introduce both group pressure and opinion leaders into the model to examine the impact on opinion evolution within a social network. Then, by utilizing matrix theory and properties of scrambling matrices, we theoretically prove that all agents' opinions can achieve consensus. Finally, the results of this paper are verified by simulations and experiments. The results indicate that group pressure facilitates the formation of opinion consensus. It takes less time for opinions to reach consensus when the level of group pressure increases. Furthermore, opinion leaders significantly impact the evolution of followers' opinions, effectively guiding their formation in the leader-follower model. This novel model elucidates the “celebrity effect”.