1503AJS_The Social Origins of Networks and Diffusion外文学习资料.pdf

The Social Origins of Networks and Diffusion1 Damon Centola University of Pennsylvania Recent research on social contagion has demonstrated significant ef- fects of network topology on the dynamics of diffusion. However, net- work topologies are not given a priori. Rather, they are patterns of re- lations that emerge from individual and structural features of society, such as population composition, group heterogeneity, homophily, and social consolidation. Following Blau and Schwartz, the author devel- ops a model of social network formation that explores how social and structural constraints on tie formation generate emergent social topol- ogies and then explores the effectiveness of these social networks for the dynamics of social diffusion. Results show that, at one extreme, high levels of consolidation can create highly balkanized communities with poor integration of shared norms and practices. As suggested by Blau and Schwartz, reducing consolidation creates more crosscut- ting circles and significantly improves the dynamics of social diffusion across the population. However, the author finds that further reduc- ing consolidation creates highly intersecting social networks that fail to support the widespread diffusion of norms and practices, indicating that successful social diffusion can depend on moderate to high levels of structural consolidation. Recent theoretical and empirical studies on the spread of social norms have identified the importance of network topology—the large-scale pattern of ties within a population—for determining both the rate and extent of dif- fusion processes ðWatts and Strogatz 1998; Newman and Watts 1999; New- 1The author gratefully acknowledges suggestions and guidance from Duncan Watts during the early stages of this project and extensive comments from