Introduction to Online Complexity
The New Social Physics of Extremes, Misinformation, and AI
Published on 30. September 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-19-892101-1 (ISBN)
Description
Today's online and offline world is an immensely complex system. We see numerous surprising "black swan" events emerging, yet it is hard to make sense of them. This book attempts to quantitatively address many of these phenomena from the perspective of physics. Physics is used as a tool to model interactions and provide potential control schemes to complex systems.
The new science of systems interacting including heterogenous humans, technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting prospect, with applications ranging from space missions through to new medical procedures. Introduction to Online Complexity lays out the new science of these systems with an aim to help equip the next generation of physicists and other scientists with knowledge of what to expect, how such systems can be described quantitatively, and what tools could be used to design behaviours or mitigate undesired behaviours.
This book operates as both a source book and a textbook for this deeply interesting new physics.
The new science of systems interacting including heterogenous humans, technology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting prospect, with applications ranging from space missions through to new medical procedures. Introduction to Online Complexity lays out the new science of these systems with an aim to help equip the next generation of physicists and other scientists with knowledge of what to expect, how such systems can be described quantitatively, and what tools could be used to design behaviours or mitigate undesired behaviours.
This book operates as both a source book and a textbook for this deeply interesting new physics.
Reviews / Votes
A good book which works through the mathematical steps in a detailed way appropriate for graduate or advanced undergraduate students, and explains some of the trickier mathematics with generating functions. * Robert Ziff, University of Michigan * A great book, and very timely. * Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, Capital Fund Management (CFM) and Ecole Normale Superieure (ENS), Paris *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
84 colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 249 mm
Width: 176 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
734 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-892101-1 (9780198921011)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Frank Huo is a PhD student at the George Washington University, having graduated with BA, MA, and Mmath degrees from Pembroke College, Cambridge University. His research interests include theoretical physics of complex systems.
Professor Neil F. Johnson is Head of Dynamic Online Networks Laboratory, George Washington University. He was Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford until 2007, and has been a Professor of Physics at George Washington University since 2018.
Professor Pedro D. Manrique is Assistant Professor of Physics, Florida Polytechnic University. He has had research appointments at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Director's fellow and at George Washington University.
Dr Minzhang Zheng is a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He is also an adjunct Assistant Research Professor at George Washington University.
Professor Neil F. Johnson is Head of Dynamic Online Networks Laboratory, George Washington University. He was Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford until 2007, and has been a Professor of Physics at George Washington University since 2018.
Professor Pedro D. Manrique is Assistant Professor of Physics, Florida Polytechnic University. He has had research appointments at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Director's fellow and at George Washington University.
Dr Minzhang Zheng is a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He is also an adjunct Assistant Research Professor at George Washington University.
Author
PhD StudentPhD Student, George Washington University
Assistant Professor of PhysicsAssistant Professor of Physics, Florida Polytechnic University
Senior Bioinformatics Research ScientistSenior Bioinformatics Research Scientist, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Professor, Head of Dynamic Online Networks LaboratoryProfessor, Head of Dynamic Online Networks Laboratory, George Washington University
Content
1: New science for a new need 2: Empirical patterns 3: Multi-body physics 1.0: Single-species fusion and fission 4: Multi-body physics 2.0: Multi-species fusion and fission 5: Multi-body physics 3.0: General fusion-fission theory for time-dependent heterogenous systems 6: Online wars: Bad-actor AI and beyond 7: Online spreading: Contagion and broadcast 8: Adding adaptation: emergence of anticrowds 9: Controlling human-technology-AI systems 10: Final thoughts References Index