W11.1 May 13 (Mon) Kim da young

summary

The social network is a theoretical construct useful in the social sciences to study relationships between individuals, groups, organizations, or even entire societies (social units, see differentiation). The term is used to describe a social structure determined by such interactions. The ties through which any given social unit connects represent the convergence of the various social contacts of that unit. This theoretical approach is, necessarily, relational. An axiom of the social network approach to understanding social interaction is that social phenomena should be primarily conceived and investigated through the properties of relations between and within units, instead of the properties of these units themselves. Thus, one common criticism of social network theory is that individual agency is often ignored[6] although this may not be the case in practice (see agent-based modeling). Precisely because many different types of relations, singular or in combination, form these network configurations, network analytics are useful to a broad range of research enterprises. In social science, these fields of study include, but are not limited to anthropology, biology, communication studies, economics, geography, information science, organizational studies, social psychology, sociology, and sociolinguistics.

interesting points

micro level

At the micro level, social network research typically starts with individuals and snowballs as social relationships are tracked, or it can start with small groups of individuals in specific social contexts.

Dyadic level: A dyad is a social relationship between two individuals. Network studies of dyads can focus on the structure of relationships (e.g., multiplicity, intensity), social equality, and tendencies toward reciprocity/reciprocity.

Triple level: Adding one individual as a pair creates a triple. Research at this level may focus on factors such as balance, transitivity, social equality, and tendencies toward reciprocity/reciprocity. In Fritz Heider's balance theory, triads are at the core of social dynamics. A feud in a competitive love triangle is an example of an unbalanced love triangle, which is likely to change into a balanced love triangle if one of the relationships changes. The dynamics of social friendships in society are modeled through balancing triads. This research is based on signed graph theory.

Actor level: In social networks, the smallest unit of analysis is the individual in the social environment, the “actor” or “self.” Egonetwork analysis focuses on network characteristics such as size, relationship strength, density, centrality, prestige and isolation, and roles such as contact and connection. These analyzes are most commonly used in the fields of psychology or social psychology, ethnographic kinship analysis, or other genealogical studies of relationships between individuals.

Subset level: The subset level of a network research problem begins at the micro level but can also move on to meso levels of analysis. Subset-level research may focus on distance and reach, cliques, cohesive subgroups, or other group activities or behaviors.\

Points to discuss

What are social networking services?