preferential attachment

English

Etymology

Coined by Albert-László Barabási and Réka Albert.

Noun

preferential attachment (plural preferential attachments)

1. (graph theory) A positive feedback cycle where the more connected nodes in a graph are more likely to receive new links.
   • 2014, Astra Taylor, chapter 4, in The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age, Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN:

     Aided by preferential attachment and network effects (the phenomenon of a good or service becoming more valuable the more people who use it), a handful of winners emerge, overshadowing other available options.

See also

• Matthew effect
• network effect

Further reading

• preferential attachment on Wikipedia.Wikipedia