preferential attachment

Preferential attachment is a concept in network theory where new nodes are more likely to connect to existing nodes that already have many connections. Imagine social media: popular users with many followers tend to attract even more followers because of their visibility. Similarly, in a network, well-connected nodes become more attractive to new ones, leading to a "rich-get-richer" effect. This process helps explain the structure of many real-world networks, like the internet or social systems, where some nodes become highly prominent while others remain less connected.