Social Network Analysis. An Introduction

Wissenschaftlicher Aufsatz , 2016 , 8 Seiten

Soziologie - Allgemeines und Grundlagen

The concept of social networks and their methods of analysis have attracted the interest and curiosity of researchers in the social sciences and behavioral sciences over the past decades. Most of this interest in analyzing social networks focuses on under-standing the relationships between social structures as well as the patterns and impacts of these relationships. Many researchers have recognized that the analysis of networks brings a new impetus to the answer of the classical research questions of sociology and behavioral sciences, giving precise formal definitions of the political, economic or social structural environment. From the point of view of the analysis of social networks, the social environment can be expressed through graphs in the relations between the interacting units.

Content

Abstract

Content

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Computer network

2.0 Social network
2.1 Social Networking
2.2 Social Network Analysis
2.3 Social Network Analysis Tools

3.0 Conclusions

Bibliography

Abstract

The concept of social networks and their methods of analysis have attracted the interest and curiosity of researchers in the social sciences and behavioral sciences over the past decades. Most of this interest in analyzing social networks focuses on understanding the relationships between social structures as well as the patterns and impacts of these relationships. Many researchers have recognized that the analysis of networks brings a new impetus to the answer of the classical research questions of sociology and behavioral sciences, giving precise formal definitions of the political, economic or social structural environment. From the point of view of the analysis of social networks, the social environment can be expressed through graphs in the relations between the interacting units.

Keywords:"social networks, graphs, social network analysis"

1.0 Introduction

Social networks and their analysis methods have attracted the interest and curiosity of researchers in social sciences and behavioral sciences over recent decades. Most of this interest in analyzing social networks focuses on understanding relationships between social entities, as well as the patterns and impacts of these relationships. Many researchers have recognized that the prospects of networks bring a new impetus to the answer of the classical research questions of sociology and behavioral sciences, giving precise formal definitions of the political, economic or social structural environment[1].

From the point of view of the analysis of social networks, the social environment can be expressed through constructs or norms in the relations between the interacting units. Following Wasserman & Faust, with the term structure, we mean the appearance of regular patterns in relationships.

In addition, we will refer to the variables that measure the structure as structural variables. From the various examples of relationships that are studied in the context of social networking, one can see that relationships can be of many kinds, for example, economic, political, interactive, emotional, etc. Focusing on relations and relationships structures requires a set of methods and analytical concepts that are different from the methods of classical statistics and data analysis.

1.1 Computer network

The term "network" in everyday life is found every day. What is a network? There is a reflection on this definition. To understand the term "network" we will describe a computer network. A computer network is a telecommunications system from stand-alone or non-standalone interconnected computers.

Computers are considered interconnected when they are able to exchange information with each other and stand alone when it is not possible for any computer to control the operation (eg, start or stop) of another. Generally, a mathematical construction that links points together. The term network may refer to any interconnected group or system.

There are several types of networks, including:

- Business networks
- Networks financially
- Networks sexually
- Hotel networks
- Networks socially

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Network Diagram

2.0 Social network

A Social Network is a social structure that consists of node connections and nodes representing natural persons or organizations. Node connections represent the relationships that connect the social units (nodes) of the network. These relationships may be direct or indirect such as e.g. Are friendships, common interests, common visions, trade and anything that can connect two or more people to everyday life. Members of the social network are usually family members, friends and acquaintances.

The development of social networking theory began in the early 1930s. More specifically in 1934 Jacob Moreno created the first sociograms (sociograms) that essentially represented the mapping of relations between individuals by showing them with points joined by lines. These approaches were mathematically standardized in the 1950s and social networking theories and methods became predominant in social sciences since the 1980s.

Many definitions have been given about what is a social network. Christakis, Fowler [2] a social network is an organized group of people composed of two kinds of elements: people and connections between them.

According to Chtouris [3], social networks are like "multidimensional systems of communication and formation of human practice and social identity". While for Walker, MacBride, and Vachon social network is the sum of personal contacts through which the individual maintains his / her social identity, receives emotional support, material support and participation in services, access to information and creates new social and professional contacts.

2.1 Social Networking

Social Networking means the practice of increasing the number of social contacts of a person by making connections with new people.

The history of social media and, by extension, online social networking is obviously a more recent trend, which began when we found that computers could be used to connect people. More specifically, on-line social networking defines the act of exchanging information, either privately or publicly, through various forms of technology, such as the Internet, mobile phones, and other services.

Internet social networking and web social networks were created and developed after the transition from the so-called web 1.0, where the user simply visited pages without much of his own contribution to the web 2.0 and later the web 3.0 where Conrad Wolfram^[1] claimed that " The sub-accountant generates new information "and is not created by people. This development has changed the structure and development of the World Wide Web in many ways, with social networks possibly constituting the most important change.

An important feature of social webs is the fact that their development was started by the users themselves. "Social networks were born from the bottom to the top, they are not the product of a company and they have been the Internet in a variety of ways," he explains. Giorgos Mitakides[4], Professor and Head of RISEPTIS (Research and Innovation for Security, Privacy and Trustworthiness in the Information Society). Indeed, from one point onwards, when they became popular with users and gained the special momentum that characterizes them today, they became the most important difference between web 1.0 and web 2.0.

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Features Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0

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• Autor: Ioannis Panges (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2016
• Seiten: 8
• Katalognummer: V371489
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668493230
• ISBN (Buch): 9783668493247
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: social, network, analysis, introduction