in Social Network Analysis, refers to the way that individuals are connected and interact with each other. patterned social relations—those regular and repetitive aspects of the interactions
In Sociology, social structure refers to those parts of the society that are resistant to change. regularities in social life
Not to be confused with
custom, tradition, role, or norm
Karl Marx → basic structure of the society was economic/material For Herbert Spencer → society is like an organism “interdependent parts that form a structure similar to the anatomy of a living body”
Social structure tells us how a social network is structured / organized
- Vertical hierarchical, inequal, ranks
- Horizontal
Aspects of Social Structure in Social Networking:
Centrality: extent to which an individual is connected to other members of the network. Individuals who are highly connected and have many connections to other members are considered to be more central in the network.
Homophily: tendency for individuals to form relationships with others who are similar to them in some way, such as sharing the same interests, values, or characteristics.
Network density: number of connections within a network relative to the total number of possible connections. A dense network has many connections and a high degree of interconnectedness, while a sparse network has fewer connections and less interconnectedness.
Hierarchy: presence of a hierarchy or rank order within a network, with some individuals having more power or influence than others. Hierarchy can be based on a variety of factors, such as wealth, status, or expertise