Social Networks: An Introduction

Citation

Gubbins, C. (2009), "Social Networks: An Introduction", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 192-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590910939076

Book synopsis

This book aims to introduce social networks to a general audience, from novices to experts wanting to catch up, and from academics to practitioners. It identifies and explains key concepts necessary for understanding social networks and social network analysis methodologies. Chapters 1 and 2, in particular, are dedicated to achieving this aim. Bruggeman utilises real life examples to help the reader understand social networks and the terminology used in literature concerned with their study. He employs these examples in all chapters of the book to illustrate how social network analysis methodologies compute social network measures and create network maps for each of the topics explored in the book.

In addition to these elements, Chapters 3 and 4 present social networks as an alternative means through which to view the world and the social interaction within it. Chapter 3 illustrates how small world theory “provides us a general characterisation of our cosmopolitan society at large, with our cozy communities within it”, and how “we may conclude that we are all bound together in a tightly knit social fabric” (Milgram, 1967, p. 67). Chapter 4 elaborates on this small world view to discuss searching society which is perceived to be enormously distant when viewed from a psychological perspective. However, when viewed from a social network perspective, society, with exceptions, displays seven general structural characteristics: sparseness, short distances, searchability, fat tails, assortativeness and transivity, which in turn lead to local clustering (p. 36).

While chapters 1‐4 focus on understanding and analysing the dynamics of social networks, chapters 5 to 7 focus on specific types of networks such as communities and organisations and the influence of these and related network configurations. For each of these chapters, Bruggeman presents the principles of a number of theories of social networks and social capital, among other theories related to the chapter, but without being overly theoretical or descriptive of theory. For example, chapter 5 discusses how social network dynamics influence social cohesion, cooperation and cultural evolution in a community. Chapter 6 discusses how social network configurations influence individuals' prestige, power and brokerage opportunities and how peoples roles can be induced by network positions. Chapter 7 discusses a selection of organisational dynamics influenced by network configurations such as; commitment and cohesiveness and its influence on searching; modularity in an organisation and its influence on flexibility and coordination; culture and knowledge creation; and power and authority from formal and informal networks.

The final chapter on methods introduces the reader to some key considerations when collecting network data and then proceeds to invite the reader to utilise the software R (chosen because it is free on the web) to engage in social network analysis focusing on generating a data set, plotting a graph and operationalising the concepts discussed throughout the previous chapters of the text.

Evaluation

The content of this book provides, with careful reading, sufficient explanation and examples to enable a good understanding of the key concepts of social networks, the methodologies for their identification and the theories for their interpretation. A key contribution of this book is its ability to present both the theoretical underpinnings and mathematical computations necessary for an “academic” understanding of social networks but in a manner that is also practical and does not demand strong mathematical skills. Those practitioners or novice academics to the topic, whom acknowledge the value of understanding and analysing social networks but approach the topic with trepidation; concerned with deciphering theories and applying mathematical computations, will find this book to be an ideal starting point.

Finally, this book also enables the reader to view the world through an alternative lens. For example, with the increased reference to concepts such as globalisation in the academic and practitioner literatures, the complexities and difficulties of interacting and managing resources across geographical boundaries are acknowledged. However, rather than ponder the geographic vastness, Bruggeman, through the lens of social networks, explicates how small world theory illustrates that while growing populations increase the average distance between people, its impact is lesser than the effect of globalisation; globalisation shortens the average distance. Similarly, Bruggeman's discussion of communities illuminates how the behaviour of one or many individuals within an immediate social clique can influence the larger community, thus giving the reader the means through which to see the macro effect of micro level behaviour. This social network perspective of social interaction permits conceptualisation and analyses of the whole, rather than the parts.

In the author's own words

People are profoundly influenced by others for most of what they have, know and do. These interdependences imply neither that people react to information or influence in a uniform way nor that everybody becomes similar. They do imply, however, that when we attempt to comprehend humans, studying them in their social environment is much more illuminating than seeing them only as individuals. We should therefore focus on social relations… (Emirbayer, 1997; Elias, 1970)…just as music cannot be appreciated if it is perceived as a series of individual notes. Therefore, only the study of social relations can help reveal the mechanisms that determine social developments… (pp. 1‐2).