The Strength of Weak Ties and Social Networking Sites
The ever increasing popularity of social media and its aggressive integration into everyday life has changed the way people view their circle of friends, acquaintances, and even their enemies. This article addresses the differences in the interconnecting structures that form the basis of the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. It also discusses how these relate to strong or weak ties among both individuals and groups. Although both sites use the format of updating statuses as content, the network scope and focus of the sites are very different. The differences are clearly evident in the terminology that each site uses when referencing connections among users. Facebook refers to connections as “friends” no matter how distant the relationship. This presumes not only an association, but a relationship. Twitter, on the other hand, refers to connections as “followers.” This approach does not presume relationship, rather it suggests only interest. On Twitter you may have followers who you actually know but there are also people who may want to follow you if they find your posts interesting. What’s more anyone can view posts on Twitter by searching hash tags for matching content of interest. Because of this, a user’s personal network on Twitter can be a lot larger than personal networks on Facebook where they are carefully chosen.
“The Strength of Weak Ties” published Mark Granovetter found that recently changed employees found out information about their new jobs through acquaintances rather than close friends. It certainly stands to reason that we are already familiar with the views and information of our immediate circles, therefore it is only natural to seek information from a source outside of our normal circle of friends. Someone who is an acquaintance or a distant friend can provide new information and perspective from their own professional and social circles that you would not otherwise have access to. Not only do you receive new information and ideas from a different perspective, but you also have an opportunity to share information as well. The open network of Twitter follows this model and enables this dispersal of information through numerous weak ties. In essence it is a means of virtually expanding your knowledge base through information supplied from a variety of sources, some of which have firsthand knowledge of the pertinent subject. It is interesting to note that Facebook has recently begun to adopt some of these Twitter elements into its features. It will be exciting to see how this affects the networks of Facebook.