Expertly Written Sample Essay on Social Network

This short social network essay sample is based on the article "The strength of weak ties" by Mark Granovetter, published in the American Journal of Sociology in a distant 1973. On just one page, it breaks down Granovetter's concept, showcasing that you don't need a thousand words to convey an interesting theory or a strong message. Read it to see how the 'less is more' principle works in academic writing!

The Strength of Weak Ties

The strength of weak ties refers to the strong ties shared by friends and the weak ties that act as their acquaintances. Social networks analysis can be seen as a tool that links micro and macro levels of sociological theory. It is said that the level of overlap of two individuals, friendship networks range with the strength of their tie. Mark Granovetter argues that weak ties can serve as a bridge that connects two friends and, in the end, connects two or more people. However, weak ties do not automatically become bridges but require the cognitive power of the two friends to see the possibility of sharing friends between them. The example of the west end shows that it is necessary to have weak ties outside the family.

This principle helps us understand how information flows through a social network. For instance, if interpersonal ties are the connections that carry information between people, then the quality of the tie between the people is either strong, weak, or simply missing. According to Granovetter (1973), it is the interpersonal relationships between different groups of people and how they hold different sections of the society together. Strong ties may help facilitate the flow of information between different parts of the organization. The most valuable weak ties in an organization are the diffusion across the network. People who have weak ties are most likely to develop and change in life. For instance, their type of circle is different from the other persons, so what this person cannot find in their circle may end up getting from their weak ties. Weak social ties are more valuable than strong social ties, especially when it comes to job hunting, where your most distant acquaintances will give you the best leads for job opportunities.