Understanding Social Networks Theories, Concepts, and Findings

by Kadushin, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780195379471
• ISBN10: 0195379470
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Despite the spread and adoption of social network concepts outside of the academy and the rising use of social network analysis across a number of disciplines, there is no general book designed for serious readers that introduces them to the basic ideas and concepts of social networks. Understanding Social Networksfills that gap by explaining the big ideas that underlie the social network phenomenon. Written for the reader who has never studied social networks, 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 Networkswill 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.

Author Biography

Charles Kadushin is Distinguished Scholar at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Visiting Research Professor of Sociology at Brandeis University and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is the author of seven books, including The American Intellectual Elite and Books: The Culture and Commerce of Publishing.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Getting Connected

Networks as Information Maps

Leaders and Followers

Networks as Conduits

The Point of View

Basic Network Concepts

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

Basic Network Concepts

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

Basic Network Concepts

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

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

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

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

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

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-AIDSTransporting Disease - Large-Scale Models

Tipping Points and Thresholds

Threshold

Where We Are Now

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

Ethical Dilemmas of Network Research

Networks as a Research Paradigm

Anonymity, Confidentiality, Privacy, and Consent

Who Benefits

Cases and Examples

Survey Research

Organization and Research

Terrorists and Criminals

Networks and Terrorism: The CASOS Projects

Conclusion: More Complicated than the Belmont Report

Coda: Ten Master Ideas of Social Networks

Introduction

The Ten Master Ideas

Bibliography

Notes

Index

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