Social Networks through a Digital Lens
In the article “Friendship, Strangers and Safety in Online Social Networks,” Amanda Lenhart and Mary Madden discuss the presence of social networks on online platforms, particularly among teenagers. Online platforms have become the foundation of networks around the world. In fact, 49% of social network users claim to use these platforms to meet new people. Especially in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of online networks. With social distancing measures put in place, many families and friends were physically separated due to strict guidelines. As a result, there was heavy reliance on social media platforms to stay connected and make new connections. For instance, starting off college during the pandemic meant that a lot of communities were formed over social media platforms where people would meet new people through mutual friends online. Chatting features and video calls help form the connection between friends on online platforms.
In class, we discuss the global friendship network where nodes are all the people on earth and edges are mutual friendships. Especially where technology is embedded in our everyday lives, there are many connected components across various components, which probably leads to one giant component around the world. The article includes data that 12% of online teenagers made friends on social media platforms who they have never met but actually have some connection to their friends offline. This could relate to the concept of triadic closure where a connection between B and C will eventually be made if they are friends with A individually. For example, nodes B and C would find out that they have a mutual connection with node A, and thus send a friend request that begins their friendship. This article gave a very insightful aspect as it served to connect our everyday interactions to the concepts we have discussed in class in relation to networks.