Abstract: Random links between otherwise distant nodes can greatly facilitate the propagation of disease or information, provided
contagion can be transmitted by a single active node. However, we show that when the propagation requires simultaneous
exposure to multiple sources of activation, called complex propagation, the effect of random links can be just the opposite;
it can make the propagation more difficult to achieve. We numerically calculate critical points for a threshold model using
several classes of complex networks, including an empirical social network. We also provide an estimation of the critical
values in terms of vulnerable nodes.
Published in Physica A
