A memory model for internet hits after media exposure

We present a cognitive model, based on the mathematical theory of point processes, which extends the results of two studies by Johansen (Physica A 276 (2000) 338; Physica A 296 (2001) 539) on download relaxation dynamics. Responses from subjects are considered as single events, which are received from original listeners or readers and from a network of social contacts, through which a message may propagate further. We collected data on the number of daily visits at our web site after a radio interview with the second author, in which the name of the web site was mentioned. A model based on an exponential hit time distribution and a homogeneous point process for regular visitors fits our data and Johansen's very well and is superior to both the power law and the logarithmic function. The fits suggest that hit data from different sources share the same cognitive mechanism, which are controlled merely by the encoding and retrieval of the target information memorised. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.