Understanding Social Networks
Theories, Concepts, and Findings
Charles Kadushin
Despite the swift spread of social network concepts and their applications and the rising use of network analysis in social science, there is no book that provides a thorough general introduction for the serious reader. Understanding Social Networks fills that gap by explaining the big ideas that underlie the social network phenomenon. Written for those interested in this fast moving area but who are not mathematically inclined, it covers fundamental concepts, then discusses networks and their core themes in increasing order of complexity. Kadushin demystifies the concepts, theories, and findings developed by network experts. He selects material that serves as basic building blocks and examples of best practices that will allow the reader to understand and evaluate new developments as they emerge. Understanding Social Networks will be useful to social scientists who encounter social network research in their reading, students new to the network field, as well as managers, marketers, and others who constantly encounter social networks in their work.
Table of Contents
Preface
1) Introduction
-Getting Connected
-Networks as Information Maps
-Leaders and Followers
-Networks as Conduits
-The Point of View
2) Basic Network Concepts, Part I: Individual Members of Networks
-Introduction
-What Is a Network?
-Sociological Questions about Relationships
Connections
Propinquity
Homophily
Individual-Level Homophily
Homophily and Collectivities
-Dyads and Mutuality
-Balance and Triads
-Where We Are Now
3) Basic Network Concepts, Part II: Whole Social Networks
-Distributions
Dyads and Triads
Density
Structural Holes
Weak Ties
-"Popularity" or Centrality
-Distance
Size of the Interpersonal Environment
The "Small World"
-Multiplexity
-Roles and Positions
Named Positions and Relationships
Informal Positions and Relationships
Informal Relations and Hierarchies
Embeddedness of the Informal within Instituted or Named Networks
Observed Roles
-Summary
4) Basic Network Concepts, Part III: Network Segmentation
-Introduction
-Named and Unnamed Network Segments
Primary Groups, Cliques, and Clusters
-Segmenting Networks from the Point of View of the Observer
Segmenting Groups on the Basis of Cohesion
Resistance to Disruption
Structural Similarity and Structural Equivalence
Core/Periphery Structures
-Where We Are Now
5) The Psychological Foundations of Social Networks
-Getting Things Done
-Community and Support
-Safety and Affiliation
-Effectiveness and Structural Holes
-Safety and Social Networks
-Effectiveness and Social Networks
-Both Safety and Effectiveness?
-Driving for Status or Rank
-Cultural Differences in Safety, Effectance, and Rank
-Motivations and Practical Networks
-Motivations of Corporate Actors
-Cognitive Limits on Individual Networks
-Where We Are Now
6) Small Groups, Leadership, and Social Networks: The Basic Building Blocks
-Introduction
-Primary Groups and Informal Systems: Propositions
-Pure Informal Systems
-How to Find Informal Systems
-Asymmetric Ties and the Influence of the External System
-Formalizing the System
-Where We Are Now
7) Organizations and Networks
-The Contradictions of Authority
-Emergent Networks in Organizations
The Factory Floor
-Information-Driven Organizations
-Inside the Box, Outside the Box, or Both
-Bridging the Gaps: Tradeoff s between Network Size, Diversity, and Social Cohesion
-Where We Are Now
8) The Small World, Circles, and Communities
-Introduction
-How Many People Do You Know?
-The Skewed Distribution of the Number of People One Knows
-Formal Small World Models
-Clustering in Social Networks
-Social Circles
-The Small World Search
-Applications of Small World Theory to Smaller Worlds
-Where We Are Now
9) Networks and Diffusion
-Networks and Diffusion-An Introduction
The Basic Model
Exogenous Factors in the Adoption of Innovation
- Influence and Decision-Making
The Current State of Personal Influence
Self-Designated Opinion Leaders or Influentials
Characteristics of Opinion Leaders and Influentials
Group Influence
-Epidemiology and Network Diffusion
Social Networks and Epidemiology
Social Networks and HIV-AIDS
Transporting Disease-Large-Scale Models
-Tipping Points and Thresholds
Threshold
- Where We Are Now
10) Networks as Social Capital
- Introduction
The General Idea of Social Capital
Social Capital as Investment
-Individual-Level Social Capital
Social Support
Individual Networked Resources: Position and Resource Generators
Correlates of Individual Social Capital
Other Indicators of Networked Resources
-Social Capital as an Attribute of Social Systems
Theorists of Social System Social Capital
Bowling Alone
Recent Findings on Social System Social Capital and Its Consequences
-Where We Are Now
11) Ethical Dilemmas of Network Research
-Networks as a Research Paradigm
-Anonymity, Confidentiality, Privacy, and Consent
-Who Benefits
- Cases and Examples
Survey Research
Organization Research
Terrorists and Criminals
Networks and Terrorism: The CASOS Projects
-Conclusion: More Complicated than the Belmont Report