Social Network Analysis

The social structure which is comprised of individuals and tied on a common interest of other relationship is referred to as Social network. The individuals in the social network are called nodes. These nodes are connected in any form of relationship. Either it may be friendship, kinship, financial exchange, sexual relationships, or relationship in terms of ideologies and beliefs.

The social network analysis observes the social relationships applying a network theory which is comprised of nodes and ties. Nodes being the individual actors of the networks and ties being the relationship of the individual actor, the social network analysis brought forth graph-based structures. These graph based structures are not very simple to understand since it has got so many nodes and ties.

On the whole, the social networks play a vital role in the problem solving, the smooth running of organizations, and also in increasing the self esteem of the individuals and determining the degree of the success of the individuals. Studying the nodes of the social network has revealed many things. The ties connect the nodes and the node to which an individual is connected becomes the social contacts of that individual. This network is also helpful in measuring the social capital. The social capital is the value that is given to an individual from the society. The social network diagrams display these concepts in details.

In the modern sociology, the social network analysis has come up as a key technique. People have connoted the complex sets of relationships using the social network, for it is helpful in identifying the relationships between the individuals at all scales.

The theoretical statements and the methods of the social network analysis have made it to move from being a suggestive metaphor to acquire an analytical approach. The methods and the social network analysis software along with the researchers have rooted this growth in the analysis.

Reckoning the history of the Social network analysis, Emile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tonnies play a vital role during the 1800. The argument posed by Tonnies explaning that the social groups can also exist as a direct and personal social ties.  Georg Simmel noted the nature of the network size. He based his essays on the interaction and also to the likelihood of communication in network that are loosely attached rather than the groups that are completely attached.

During 1960-1970, there were a number of scholars who toiled to unite the different traditions of the social network analysis.

Questions:

• What is a social network?
• What is the argument posed by Tonnies?