This paper is devoted to investigating the impact of the recurrence of rumors and individual behaviors and control strategies related to rumor spreading in online social networks. To do this, a novel susceptible-hesitating-infected-latent-recovered (SHILR) rumor propagation model in heterogeneous networks is presented. Firstly, based on the relevant mean-field equations of the model, the threshold value is examined to demonstrate the existence and stability of rumor-free/spreading equilibrium with the help of the algebraic method. Secondly, the global stabilities of the equilibria are analyzed through applying Lyapunov stability theory and LaSalle’s invariance principle. Next, the optimal control is proposed by taking advantage of Pontryagin’s maximum principle for reducing the number of infected individuals with minimum cost. Moreover, some numerical examples are carried out to test the theoretical results. Finally, combined with practice, a model application is presented.

An Innocents-Spreaders-Calmness-Removes (ISCR) rumor propagation model is established with nonlinear incidence and time delay on complex networks in this paper. Based on the mean-field theory, the spreading dynamics of the ISCR model are discussed in detail. Firstly, the basic reproduction number R 0 is obtained by the next generation matrix method to ensure the existence of rumor-prevailing equilibrium. Secondly, by utilizing the Routh–Hurwitz criterion and LaSalle’s invariance principle, the local stability and global stability of rumor equilibria are proved. Moreover, the optimal control is presented via Pontryagin’s minimum principle, which is to effectively restrain rumor diffusion. Finally, the theoretical results are verified by numerical simulations.

The propagation of rumors on online social networks (OSNs) brings an awful lot of trouble to people’s life and society. Aiming at combating rumors spreading on OSNs, two novel rumor-propagation models without and with time delays are proposed, which combine with the influence of the immune mechanism, isolation mechanism and network structure. Firstly, we analyze the existence of rumor equilibria and obtain some existence conditions of backward bifurcation. Secondly, the local stabilities of rumor-free and rumor equilibria are proved by using the Jacobian matrix method, and some critical conditions for the existence of Hopf bifurcation are acquired by selecting critical parameters and delays as bifurcation parameters. Furthermore, an optimal control method is proposed, which can prevent the spread of rumors within an expected time period and minimize the cost of control. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results.