Social network analysis
Social network
analysis (SNA) is the methodical analysis of social networks. Social network
analysis views social relationships in terms of network theory, consisting of
nodes (representing individual actors within the network) and ties (which
represent relationships between the individuals, such as friendship, kinship,
organizational position, sexual relationships, etc.)These networks are often
depicted in a social network diagram, where nodes are represented as points and
ties are represented as lines.
Visual
representation of social networks is important to understand the network data
and convey the result of the analysis
Exploration of the data is done through
displaying nodes and ties in various layouts, and attributing colors, size and
other advanced properties to nodes. Visual representations of networks may be a
powerful method for conveying complex information, but care should be taken in
interpreting node and graph properties from visual displays alone, as they may
misrepresent structural properties better captured through quantitative
analyses.
Collaboration
graphs can be used to illustrate good and bad relationships between humans. A
positive edge between two nodes denotes a positive relationship (friendship,
alliance, dating) and a negative edge between two nodes denotes a negative
relationship (hatred, anger). Signed social network graphs can be used to
predict the future evolution of the graph. In signed social networks, there is
the concept of "balanced" and "unbalanced" cycles. A
balanced cycle is defined as a cycle where the product of all the signs are
positive.
Balanced graphs
represent a group of people who are unlikely to change their opinions of the
other people in the group. Unbalanced graphs represent a group of people who
are very likely to change their opinions of the people in their group. For
example, a group of 3 people (A, B, and C) where A and B have a positive
relationship, B and C have a positive relationship, but C and A have a negative
relationship is an unbalanced cycle. This group is very likely to morph into a
balanced cycle, such as one where B only has a good relationship with A, and
both A and B have a negative relationship with C. By using the concept of
balances and unbalanced cycles, the evolution of signed social network graphs
can be predicted.citatio
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