A computer system comprises a memory to store instructions and a processor to: generate a list comprising a first entry including an identifier of a first mesh device and a number of neighboring devices that are reachable by the first mesh device over a single-hop path, and a second entry including an identifier of a second mesh device and a number of neighboring devices that are reachable by the second mesh device over a single-hop path; order the initial list in a descending order of the numbers of neighboring devices; determine a replication factor for the digital content item; identify a subset of entries of the ordered list, wherein a number of entries comprised by the subset is equal to the replication factor; and cause a first copy of the digital content item to be stored on the mesh device referenced by the first entry.