A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.
Social network analysis (SNA) views social relationships in terms of network theory consisting of nodes and ties (also called edges, links, or connections). Nodes are the individual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors. The resulting graph-based structures are often very complex. There can be many kinds of ties between the nodes. Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.
In its simplest form, a social network is a map of specified ties, such as friendship, between the nodes being studied. The nodes to which an individual is thus connected are the social contacts of that individual. The network can also be used to measure social capital – the value that an individual gets from the social network. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.
Contents [hide]
1 Social network analysis
2 History of social network analysis
3 Research
4 Metrics (measures) in social network analysis
5 Network analytic software
6 Visualization of networks
7 Patents
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
[edit]Social network analysis
An example of a social network diagram. The node with the highest betweenness centrality is marked in yellow.
Social network analysis (related to network theory) has emerged as a key technique in modern sociology. It has also gained a......