PhD 3743: Strength of Weak Ties, 10/28/2017

1. Strength of Ties

Amount of time

Emotional intensity

Intimacy

Reciprocal services

2. Weak Ties in Diffusion Process

Forbidden triad, Fig.1, no B-C relationship

Diffusion leads to B-C weak tie

Are innovators central or marginal?

Pamphlet forwarded from white to negro acquaintance, chain complete; if negro "friend" then only 26% completed

3. Weak Ties in Egocentric Networks

Close-knit vs. Loose-knit = network density

Strong ties = dense, Weak ties = less dense

Jobs found through contacts

Small degrees of separation, 84.4% w/in 1 degree

4. Weak Ties and Community Organization

Diffusion and mass communication only acted upon if transmitted through personal ties

Trust in leadership based on personal intermediaries

Clique of strong ties leads to isolation within community

Example: Boston's West End Italian community loss at "urban renewal"

5. Micro and Macro Network Models

Weak ties link to different groups

Interpersonal choices tend to be transitive

Consistent with some child development studies