From Brexit to Climate Change: How Social Networks Lead to Echo Chambers
The structure of social networks can shed light on society in many ways. From racism to politics to religious extremism, the complexities of how social networks form and operate can teach us a lot about how certain aspects of society work.
But before I explain why, let’s review what I covered in the past two essays about how social networks are created and maintained.
First we looked at the structure of social networks and how people are either weak ties or strong ties. Weak ties, or acquaintances from other networks, are more likely to bring novel information to you and your network. They act as bridging ties across structural holes, transmitting new knowledge, ideas, and contacts. Structural holes — gaps in networks — stop the flow of value, and bridging them creates value.
Next we learned about role sets and status sets, which are the interrelationship any individual has with other individuals who are different from them. People with very limited social networks and no weak ties end up with simple role sets in which they engage primarily with other people who are very similar to themselves. They do not develop the social skills needed to navigate around networks, where empathy and an ability to see things from other people’s perspectives are essential for making…
