Understanding consumer behaviour through data analysis and simulation : Are social networks changing the world economy?

This thesis will analyse the music choices of users of Last.fm, a social networking site focused on music. Their choices will be the basis for an exploration of the role of social relationships in music consumers' choice of new songs to listen to. Agent- based modelling, a form of simulation modelling, will be the primary tool used here. The study should serve as an example of how detailed data such as the data on music choice - which is increasingly becoming available - can enable new agent- based modelling research and lead to new insights into such social phenomena as consumer behaviour.