Abstract
The probability distribution of number of ties of an individual in a
social network follows a scale-free power-law. However, how this
distribution arises has not been conclusively demonstrated in direct
analyses of people's actions in social networks. Here, we perform a
causal inference analysis and find an underlying cause for this
phenomenon. Our analysis indicates that heavy-tailed degree distribution
is causally determined by similarly skewed distribution of human
activity. Specifically, the degree of an individual is entirely random -
following a ``maximum entropy attachment'' model - except for its mean
value which depends deterministically on the volume of the users'
activity. This relation cannot be explained by interactive models, like
preferential attachment, since the observed actions are not likely to be
caused by interactions with other people.
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