Modeling complex interactions in a disrupted environment

Relational events in the WTC response

Bibliographic Data

ID7338576
AuthorsScott Leo Renshaw (0000-0002-7286-3249, Carnegie Mellon University), Selena M Liva (0009-0009-9537-4673), Selena M Livas (University of California, Irvine), Miruna Petrescu‐prahova (University of Washington), Miruna G Petrescu-Prahova, C T Butts (0000-0002-7911-9834, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume11
Issue2
Pages295-323
Publication date2023-04-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNetwork Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2050-1250 • E-ISSN: 2050-1242
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/nws.2023.4
OpenAlexW4366283417
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited35

When subjected to a sudden, unanticipated threat, human groups characteristically self-organize to identify the threat, determine potential responses, and act to reduce its impact. Central to this process is the challenge of coordinating information sharing and response activity within a disrupted environment. In this paper, we consider coordination in the context of responses to the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Using records of communications among 17 organizational units, we examine the mechanisms driving communication dynamics, with an emphasis on the emergence of coordinating roles. We employ relational event models (REMs) to identify the mechanisms shaping communications in each unit, finding a consistent pattern of behavior across units with very different characteristics. Using a simulation-based “knock-out” study, we also probe the importance of different mechanisms for hub formation. Our results suggest that, while preferential attachment and pre-disaster role structure generally contribute to the emergence of hub structure, temporally local conversational norms play a much larger role in the WTC case. We discuss broader implications for the role of microdynamics in driving macroscopic outcomes, and for the emergence of coordination in other settings

Biology · Context (archaeology · Event (particle physics · Information sharing · Community Health and Development · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Psychology

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