scholarly journals Collective minds: social network topology shapes collective cognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 377 (1843) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Momennejad
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Belief Propagation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Collective Cognition ◽  
Community Ties

Human cognition is not solitary, it is shaped by collective learning and memory. Unlike swarms or herds, human social networks have diverse topologies, serving diverse modes of collective cognition and behaviour. Here, we review research that combines network structure with psychological and neural experiments and modelling to understand how the topology of social networks shapes collective cognition. First, we review graph-theoretical approaches to behavioural experiments on collective memory, belief propagation and problem solving. These results show that different topologies of communication networks synchronize or integrate knowledge differently, serving diverse collective goals. Second, we discuss neuroimaging studies showing that human brains encode the topology of one's larger social network and show similar neural patterns to neural patterns of our friends and community ties (e.g. when watching movies). Third, we discuss cognitive similarities between learning social and non-social topologies, e.g. in spatial and associative learning, as well as common brain regions involved in processing social and non-social topologies. Finally, we discuss recent machine learning approaches to collective communication and cooperation in multi-agent artificial networks. Combining network science with cognitive, neural and computational approaches empowers investigating how social structures shape collective cognition, which can in turn help design goal-directed social network topologies. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The emergence of collective knowledge and cumulative culture in animals, humans and machines’.

The cost of (anti-) social networks: Identity, agency and neo-luddites

First Monday ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Bigge
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Technological Determinism ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Cost

The media coverage and resultant discourse surrounding social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Friendster contain narratives of inevitability and technological determinism that require careful explication. Borrowing a tactic from the Russian Futurists, this paper attempts to make strange (that is, to defamiliarize) social network sites and their associated discourses by drawing upon an eclectic but interrelated set of metaphors and theoretical approaches, including: the digital enclosure, network sociality, socio-technical capital and Steven Jones’s recent examination of neo-Luddites. Whenever appropriate, this paper will integrate relevant magazine and newspaper journalism about social networking sites.

Social networks and perceptions of intergenerational difference among migrant youth in Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-144
Author(s):  
Fethi Mansouri ◽  
Amelia Johns
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Network Formation ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Migrant Youth ◽  
Youth Research ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Social And Cultural Factors

‘Intergenerational difference’ has become a lens through which to view issues of identity, social connectedness, belonging and agency in migrant youth research, highlighting that differences in the aspirations of migrant youth and their parents shape young people’s experiences. The article will present findings from a mixed methods study of social network participation among three migrant youth cohorts in two Australian cities to address a perceived ‘gap’ among migrant youth and parents’ aspirations for social network formation and participation. The paper will first examine current theoretical approaches to intergenerational challenges in migrant youth research. It will then introduce ‘intersectionality’ as a concept offering a more nuanced understanding of the challenges and hopes of migrant youth for whom social networks can be a gateway towards belonging and connectedness. This, however, requires a negotiation of complex structural, social and cultural factors.

scholarly journals Fundamental structures of dynamic social networks

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (36) ◽  
pp. 9977-9982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedran Sekara ◽  
Arkadiusz Stopczynski ◽  
Sune Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Telecommunication Networks ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Dynamic Social Networks

Social systems are in a constant state of flux, with dynamics spanning from minute-by-minute changes to patterns present on the timescale of years. Accurate models of social dynamics are important for understanding the spreading of influence or diseases, formation of friendships, and the productivity of teams. Although there has been much progress on understanding complex networks over the past decade, little is known about the regularities governing the microdynamics of social networks. Here, we explore the dynamic social network of a densely-connected population of ∼1,000 individuals and their interactions in the network of real-world person-to-person proximity measured via Bluetooth, as well as their telecommunication networks, online social media contacts, geolocation, and demographic data. These high-resolution data allow us to observe social groups directly, rendering community detection unnecessary. Starting from 5-min time slices, we uncover dynamic social structures expressed on multiple timescales. On the hourly timescale, we find that gatherings are fluid, with members coming and going, but organized via a stable core of individuals. Each core represents a social context. Cores exhibit a pattern of recurring meetings across weeks and months, each with varying degrees of regularity. Taken together, these findings provide a powerful simplification of the social network, where cores represent fundamental structures expressed with strong temporal and spatial regularity. Using this framework, we explore the complex interplay between social and geospatial behavior, documenting how the formation of cores is preceded by coordination behavior in the communication networks and demonstrating that social behavior can be predicted with high precision.

scholarly journals Neural and social correlates of attitudinal brokerage: using the complete social networks of two entire villages

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1944) ◽  
pp. 20202866
Author(s):  
Yoosik Youm ◽  
Junsol Kim ◽  
Seyul Kwak ◽  
Jeanyung Chey
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cross Validation ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Gender Role Attitudes ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Brain

To avoid polarization and maintain small-worldness in society, people who act as attitudinal brokers are critical. These people maintain social ties with people who have dissimilar and even incompatible attitudes. Based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging ( n = 139) and the complete social networks from two Korean villages ( n = 1508), we investigated the individual-level neural capacity and social-level structural opportunity for attitudinal brokerage regarding gender role attitudes. First, using a connectome-based predictive model, we successfully identified the brain functional connectivity that predicts attitudinal diversity of respondents' social network members. Brain regions that contributed most to the prediction included mentalizing regions known to be recruited in reading and understanding others’ belief states. This result was corroborated by leave-one-out cross-validation, fivefold cross-validation and external validation where the brain connectivity identified in one village was used to predict the attitudinal diversity in another independent village. Second, the association between functional connectivity and attitudinal diversity of social network members was contingent on a specific position in a social network, namely, the structural brokerage position where people have ties with two people who are not otherwise connected.

Fuzzy Social Network Modeling for Influencing Consumer Behavior

2018 ◽  
pp. 230-277
Author(s):  
Ronald R. Yager ◽  
Rachel L. Yager
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Network Modeling ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Complex Structures ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Social Network Modeling

Social networks have become an important component in most companies' bag of tools for managing and influencing consumer behavior. It is imperative for modern organizations to fully understand these social networks and have at their disposal an armada of tools to intelligently model and manipulate these complex structures in order to accomplish their goals. In order to most effectively and intelligently use social networks, decision makers and planners must be able to bring to bear their expertise, experience, and professional intuition on issues involving these networks. This requires an understanding, comprehension, and view of social networks that is compatible with their human cognition and perception. They must be able to understand the structure and dynamics of social networks in terms of human-focused concepts. In this chapter, the authors investigate and describe the use of the FISNA technology to help in the modeling of consumer behavior-related concepts in social networks.

scholarly journals Comparing the measurement of different social networks: Peer nominations, online communication, and proximity data

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. van Woudenberg ◽  
K. E. Bevelander ◽  
W. J. Burk ◽  
C. R. Smit ◽  
L. Buijs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Proximity Data ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Unobtrusive Measures ◽  
Peer Nominations

AbstractBackground:Technological progress has enabled researchers to use new unobtrusive measures of relationships between actors in social network analysis. However, research on how these unobtrusive measures of peer connections relate to traditional sociometric nominations in adolescents is scarce. Therefore, the current study compared traditional peer nominated networks with more unobtrusive measures of peer connections: Communication networks that consist of instant messages in an online social platform and proximity networks based on smartphones’ Bluetooth signals that measure peer proximity. The three social network types were compared in their coverage, stability, overlap, and the extent to which the networks exhibit the often observed sex segregation in adolescent social networks.Method:Two samples were derived from the MyMovez project: a longitudinal sample of 444 adolescents who participated in the first three waves of the first year of the project (Y1; 51% male; Mage = 11.29, SDage = 1.26) and a cross-sectional sample of 774 adolescents that participated in fifth wave in the third year (Y3; 48% male; Mage = 10.76, SDage = 1.23). In the project, all participants received a research smartphone and a wrist-worn accelerometer. On the research smartphone, participants received daily questionnaires such as peer nomination questions (i.e., nominated network). In addition, the smartphone automatically scanned for other smartphones via Bluetooth signal every 15 minutes of the day (i.e., proximity network). In the Y3 sample, the research smartphone also had a social platform in which participants could send messages to each other (i.e., communication network).Results:The results show that nominated networks provided data for the most participants compared to the other two networks, but in these networks, participants had the lowest number of connections with peers. Nominated networks showed to be more stable over time compared to proximity or communication networks. That is, more connections remained the same in nominated networks than in proximity networks over the three waves of Y1. The overlap between the three networks was rather small, indicating that the networks measured different types of connections. Nominated and communication networks were segregated by sex, whereas this was less the case in proximity networks.Conclusion:The communication and proximity networks seem to be promising unobtrusive measures of peer connections and are less of a burden to the participant compared to a nominated network. However, given the structural differences between the networks and the number of connections per wave, the communication and proximity networks should not be used as direct substitutes for sociometric nominations, and researchers should bear in mind what type of connections they wish to assess.

scholarly journals SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL: A REVIEW OF FOREIGN THEORETICAL APPROACHES

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-166
Author(s):  
Darya A. Lastovkina
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social System ◽  
Structural Element ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Communication Space ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Developing Area ◽  
Definition Of

Currently, society lives in the conditions of continuous expansion of the communication space. This is manifested in the transformation of old and the emergence of new types of interaction of individuals in the economic, political, social, spiritual spheres of society. The study of social networks is an actively developing area in theoretical sociology, and the concept of social networks is the most natural in the description and construction of a social structure. In a broad sense, a social network is understood as many points (members of a social system), to a greater or lesser extent, related to each other. In this article we will illustrate the main stages of the evolution of the concept of “social network” in the works of foreign researchers. Let's take a closer look at foreign theoretic approaches to the study of social networks as a structural element of social capital. In the conclusion of our analysis, we will list the main characteristic features of a social network, on the basis of which we will formulate a generalized definition of this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Informatics for COVID-19 in New York and California

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Seungil Yum
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
The Us ◽  
Key Players

Abstract Objective: This study explores how social networks for COVID-19 are differentiated by regions. Methods: This study employs social network analysis for Twitter in New York and California. Results: National key players play an important role in New York, while regional key players exert a significant impact on California. Some key players, such as the US president, play an essential role in both New York and California. Hispanic key players play a crucial role in California. Each group is more likely to show communication networks within groups in New York, while it is more apt to exhibit communication networks across groups in California. Government players play a different role in social networks according to regions. Conclusions: Governments should understand how social networks for COVID-19 are differentiated by regions to control the ongoing pandemic effectively.

Fuzzy Social Network Modeling for Influencing Consumer Behavior

2015 ◽  
pp. 258-294
Author(s):  
Ronald R. Yager ◽  
Rachel L. Yager
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Network Modeling ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Complex Structures ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Social Network Modeling

Social networks have become an important component in most companies' bag of tools for managing and influencing consumer behavior. It is imperative for modern organizations to fully understand these social networks and have at their disposal an armada of tools to intelligently model and manipulate these complex structures in order to accomplish their goals. In order to most effectively and intelligently use social networks, decision makers and planners must be able to bring to bear their expertise, experience, and professional intuition on issues involving these networks. This requires an understanding, comprehension, and view of social networks that is compatible with their human cognition and perception. They must be able to understand the structure and dynamics of social networks in terms of human-focused concepts. In this chapter, the authors investigate and describe the use of the FISNA technology to help in the modeling of consumer behavior-related concepts in social networks.

Progressive Tourism

2010 ◽  
pp. 145-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Pultar ◽  
Martin Raubal
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
General Model ◽  
Transportation Networks ◽  
Data Communication ◽  
Information Representation ◽  
Computing Power ◽  
Geographical Spread ◽  
Local Residents

This research examines tourism behavior using Internet-based websites that provide free lodging with local residents. Increases in computing power and accessibility have led to novel e-tourism techniques and the users of such systems utilize an amalgamation of social networks, transportation networks, and data communication networks. The chapter focuses on how the geographical spread of people in a modern, digital social network (CouchSurfing) influences the travel choices of each individual in the network. Activities performed in coordination with this type of system can vary greatly in travel mode, accessibility, mobility, and time, among other factors. This research studies factors that influence a general model describing traveler behavior using a cost-free lodging network. The authors present an information representation and visualization methodology utilizing time-geographic dimensions.

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