SNA in MassComm ASNA-Workshop 2011 Handout

8/22/2019 SNA in MassComm ASNA-Workshop 2011 Handout

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Applications of SNA ASNA 2011 Workshop September 13, 2011

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel www.friemel.com 1

Applications of Social Network

Analysis in Mass Communication

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel

[email protected]

www.friemel.com

Workshop at the 8th Conference on Applications of Social Network Analysis ASNA 2011

University of Zurich & ETH Zurich, September 13, 2011

Outlook

Why SNA?

Possible Applications in Communication Research

Communication Roles (Opinion Leaders)

Classic Studies (Two-Step-Flow of Communication)

New approaches

New findings


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Why should we use SNA?

Any definition and model of communication has a relational

component.

(Wilbur Schramm 1954: 8)Dr. Thomas N. Friemel 3www.friemel.com

Journalistic Tool



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Geografic Relations in the Press


Interlocking Directories



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(Media) Content as a Social Network


Semantic Network Reuters News, Day 3

8

suspectorganization

network

terrorist

evidence

fatah

cell

bin laden

group

multiple

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel www.friemel.com


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Semantic Network Reuters News, Day 16

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organization

al quaidagroup

crime

terrorist

international

bin laden

islam

suspect

attack

afghanistan


Health Campaigns and Interpersonal Communication


Smokers

Non-Smokers

Inconsistent NetworkConsistent Network

N = 256; Friemel 2006


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Public Opinion as Impersonal Knowledge Networks

Basis:

free-word associations of individuals

Top of mind aspects

Takes into account the nature of individual knowledge and

thinking

Aggregation:

Combine individual aspects to bigger networks by using

identical aspects as linking pins.

Practicability: Compatible with random sampling and standard survey

methods (CATI, CAWI)

11Dr. Thomas N. Friemel www.friemel.com

Impersonal Knowledge Network

naturalization?

From 2 mode to one mode

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Swiss Society Candidates

Referendum

Misuse Emotions

Swiss Society

Candidates Enrichment



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Communication Roles

Why SNA?




New approaches

New findings

The Peoples Choice


Lazarsfeld / Berelson / Gaudet 1944

US presidential election 1940

Panel survey in Erie County (governmental district)

Two-Step-Flow discovered by coincidence

Empirical design

Survey of a random sample

Distinction between (opinion)leaders and followers


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Two-Step-Flow of Communication Hypothesis


Have you tried to convince anyone of your political ideas

recently?

Has anyone asked your advice on a political question

recently?

Definition of opinion leader: one positive answer min ( 21%)

Media use: quantity ( higher for opinion leader)

This suggests that ideas often flow from radio and print to theopinion leaders and from them to the less active sections of the

population (Lazarsfeld/Berelson/Gaudet 1944, 151)

Patterns of Influence


Merton (1949)

Test study for Personal Influence

Empirical design

Random sample of 86 persons from Rovere

(11000 inhabitants)

Nomination of advice givers on several topics

(work, education, books, furniture, etc.)

1043 nominations 379 persons

57 persons with 4 nominations min

15% of 379 = influentials

Influence is not an abstract attribute of a person, it is a process

implicating two or more people (Merton 1949: 208).


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Personal Influence


Katz / Lazarsfeld (1955)

Empirical design

Representative sample of 800 womens from Decatur

4 topics (groceries, fashion, cinema, local politics)

real network data

Dyads (up and down)

Short chains

Voting

New View on Opinion Leaders

Those men can better lead who are traveling the same road as

their followers but are a little ahead

(Berelson/Lazarsfeld/ McPhee 1954: 113)



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Medical Innovation


Coleman / Katz / Menzel (1957)

Impact analysis of Tetracycline ads in medial journals

Setting: four cities in Illinois (USA)

Empirical design

Survey of all medical doctors

Data from pharmacies

Namegenerator: Three most important colleagues (private,

discussing medical cases, information/advice)

Whats the Learning?

The two-step concept is probably more useful to bear in mind

as a factor that should not be overlooked, than to posit as a

powerful hypothesis for test (Chaffee 1972, S. 107).


Mass media

recipients

social network


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Communication Roles

Why SNA?




New approaches

New findings

New Approaches to Communication Roles

Ego-roles

Dyadic roles Aggregation rules

Roles in complex networks

Centrality measures

Unreflected use / problematiccanonical interpretation

Hierarchical structures Unused potential


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Ego-Roles in Dyads

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A B

1) Leader

A B

2) Follower

A B

3) Exchanger

A B

4) Isolate

Role of A for B


Absolute Operationalization of Ego-Roles

Threshold Abs %

(1) 15 71

1 9 43

2 3 14

3 1 5

4 - 0

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Level Operationalization Examples

Absolute Absolute number The Peoples Choice

(Lazarsfeld/Berelson/Gaudet 1944)

Rovere Study (Merton 1949)

Rssler/Scharfenberg 2004

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2

3

4

5

67

8

9

1011

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel 24


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Intrapersonal Operationalization of Ego-Roles

Threshold Abs %

50% 6 29

66% 1 5

75% - 0

100% - 0

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Level Operationalization Examples

Intrapersonal Relative to all ties of a person 50% (Schenk 1993, 262;

Schenk 1995; Rssler/

Scharfenberg 2004, 510)

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2

3

4

5

67

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel 25

New Approaches to Communication Roles

Ego-roles

Dyadic roles Aggregation rules

Roles in complex networks

Centrality measures

Unreflected use / problematiccanonical interpretation

Hierarchical structures Unused potential


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Centrality Measures

Out-Degree: Activity

In-Degree: Resources

Closeness: Effectivity

Betweenness: Control

Flow Betweenness

Eigenvector: Power

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(Borgatti2005)

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2

3

4

5

67

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

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18

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20

21


Symmetric-Acyclic-Decomposition

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Opinion Leader

Absolute > 1

Absolute > 2

Relative 50%

Relative > 50%

Flow-Betweenness

Closeness

1

3

4 5

912

14

19

217

8

18

20

2

11 17

6

10 13

15

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Dr. Thomas N. Friemel 28www.friemel.com


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Communication Roles

Why SNA?




New approaches

New findings

Auto-Correlation in Social Networks



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Network Auto-Correlation / Homophily


Selection

Influence

tt-1

Actor Based Modeling

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Observed

Simulated



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Selection Effects

Ego-Effect Alter-Effect Similarity-Effect


Influence Effect



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Research Setting

35

895 students in 35 classes in 5 schools

Different regions

Two age groups (13-14, 15-16)

Network questions on interpersonal communication and spending time (roster

design)

TV Use (46 programs PCA 8 genres / 2 are reported here)

Pane wave Field time Response rate

1 Sept. 2006 99%

2 Nov. Dec. 2006 94%

3 Feb. March 2007 94%

4 June - July 2007 98%


Conclusion

Network structure: Reciprocal with local hierarchy

TV intensity: Declining but addicting

CSI & MTV: Increasing but normalizing

Gender: Males are more talkative

Similarity is important

Selection: Ego-, Alter- and Similarity-Effects for MTV

Ego-Effect for TV intensity

Influence: None!



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h i l f i l 9

Thank you for your attention.

Dr. Thomas N. Friemel

[email protected]

www.friemel.com

SNA in MassComm ASNA-Workshop 2011 Handout

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