Abstract

The existing methods and techniques for social network analysis are inadequate to capture both the behavior (such as rationality and intelligence) of individuals and the strategic interactions that occur among these individuals. Game theory is a natural tool to overcome this inadequacy since it provides rigorous mathematical models of strategic interaction among autonomous, intelligent, and rational agents. Motivated by the above observation, this tutorial provides the conceptual underpinnings of the use of game theoretic models in social network analysis. In the first part of the tutorial, we provide rigorous foundations of relevant concepts in game theory and social network analysis. In the second part of the tutorial, we present a comprehensive study of four contemporary and pertinent problems in social networks: social network formation, determining in influential individuals for viral marketing, query incentive networks, and community detection.