(Jumping over Week6 (Yom Kippur), it's my reading comment for week7. )
This week's reading deals with a systematic methodology to cope with social networks. It is less of an argument, but a very nicely put way of introducing the concepts and implications of network analysis, with a explicit emphasis on communication. Thus, following thoughts regard not particularily Monge & Contractors book but rather the research approach of social network analysis itself.
When I took the social psychology class in my undergrad, I had an opportunity to replicate the Leavitt experiment(p17). The results and their implications were very clear: the organizational form of communication network affects the group and each member in their performances and satisfaction. This being an experiment, you didn't 'discover' patterns, but 'set' them. So basically, it was about looking at what network patterns do. On the other hand, the network analysis we are talking about is on observing groups and then discovering patterns(In fact discovering multiple plains of patterns, via multiple theoretical approach). So it is much harder to find out what the network pattern found actually does. You can describe where the central clusters are, how multiple planes of media spheres intersect to bulid closer webs, you find out who the real gatekeepers are... but how do you find out 'what' those patterns imply? Maybe it's all there in the explanation and I just need to finish reading into the latter chapters of the book.
Another thing I cannot but keep in mind is that most of the methods explained within the reading is about a single time frame. I wonder if there are models and research methods that deals with the dynamic change of such social networks. Why and how do networks changeover time, and what can be done to interfere in that process? In real world words, how does a new member get effectively into a exsting network? How does a authoritan network renovate itself to become a decentralized one? How does a highly democratic network transform itself to a fascistic whole? If anyone can recommend some works on those areas, I'll be grateful.
This week's reading deals with a systematic methodology to cope with social networks. It is less of an argument, but a very nicely put way of introducing the concepts and implications of network analysis, with a explicit emphasis on communication. Thus, following thoughts regard not particularily Monge & Contractors book but rather the research approach of social network analysis itself.
When I took the social psychology class in my undergrad, I had an opportunity to replicate the Leavitt experiment(p17). The results and their implications were very clear: the organizational form of communication network affects the group and each member in their performances and satisfaction. This being an experiment, you didn't 'discover' patterns, but 'set' them. So basically, it was about looking at what network patterns do. On the other hand, the network analysis we are talking about is on observing groups and then discovering patterns(In fact discovering multiple plains of patterns, via multiple theoretical approach). So it is much harder to find out what the network pattern found actually does. You can describe where the central clusters are, how multiple planes of media spheres intersect to bulid closer webs, you find out who the real gatekeepers are... but how do you find out 'what' those patterns imply? Maybe it's all there in the explanation and I just need to finish reading into the latter chapters of the book.
Another thing I cannot but keep in mind is that most of the methods explained within the reading is about a single time frame. I wonder if there are models and research methods that deals with the dynamic change of such social networks. Why and how do networks changeover time, and what can be done to interfere in that process? In real world words, how does a new member get effectively into a exsting network? How does a authoritan network renovate itself to become a decentralized one? How does a highly democratic network transform itself to a fascistic whole? If anyone can recommend some works on those areas, I'll be grateful.
posted by KimNakho at
3:34 PM
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