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The Social Network of Information : A Study on the Factors Influencing the Flow of Information on Social Networks: The case of Facebook

The Social Network of Information A Study on the Factors Influencing the Flow of Information on Social Networks: The case of Facebook

초록/요약

Flow of information is an important issue for many fields of study such as advertising, political studies, medicine, etc. In the age of information and internet, the concept of flow of information is interwoven with the concept of network. However, it is arguable that flow of information has always had a network nature. In this dissertation I have argued that to study the flow of information in a society one can approach the issue from the perspective of the social network theory. However it is important to customize it based on the needs and qualities of information and its flow. When a social network is being studied specifically regarding the issue of flow of information, specific characteristics and qualities of information and its flow necessitate different theoretical and practical approaches. I have explained some of these qualities and suggested that the study of flow of information deserves to receive more attention probably under the title of the social network of information. In the theory section I have argued that in a network of information looking for existing structural relations (which is the main concern in social network analysis) would not suffice and there should be a focus on measuring the probability of occurrence of transmissions. Following this argument I have also proposed a practical method to study three sets of variables that may affect the probability of occurrence of transmissions. These three sets of variables are related to (1) the characteristics of the nodes of the network; (2) the characteristics of the units of information and (3) the network behaviors of the nodes. The research project was performed on the data gathered from Facebook. The results confirmed the practicality of this approach and resulted in 176 significant relations regarding the types of material that the Facebook users reacted to and the way they reacted to them.

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