The effect of information literacy heterogeneity on epidemic spreading in information and epidemic coupled multiplex networks

With the COVID-19 pandemic, better understanding of the co-evolution of information and epidemic diffusion networks is important for pandemic-related policies. Using the microscopic Markov chain method, this study proposed an aware–susceptible–infected model (ASI) to explore the effect of information literacy on the spreading process in such multiplex networks. We first introduced a parameter that adjusts the self-protection related execution ability of aware individuals in order to emphasis the importance of protective behaviors compared to awareness in decreasing the infection probability. The model also captures individuals’ heterogeneity in their information literacy. Simulation experiments found that the high information-literate individuals are more sensitive to information adoption. In addition, epidemic information can help to suppress the epidemic diffusion only when individuals’ abilities of transforming awareness into actual protective behaviors attain a threshold. In communities dominated by highly literate individuals, a larger information literacy gap can improve awareness acquisition and thus help to suppress the epidemic among the whole group. By contrast, in communities dominated by low information-literate individuals, a smaller information literacy gap can better prevent the epidemic diffusion. This study contributes to the literature by revealing the importance of individuals’ heterogeneity of information literacy on epidemic spreading in different communities and has implications for how to inform people when a new epidemic disease emerges.