Origins of Homophily in an Evolving Social Network
Venue
American Journal of Sociology, vol. 115 (2009), pp. 405-450
Publication Year
2009
Authors
Gueorgi Kossinets, Duncan J. Watts
BibTeX
Abstract
The authors investigate the origins of homophily in a large university community,
using network data in which interactions, attributes, and affiliations are all
recorded over time. The analysis indicates that highly similar pairs do show
greater than average propensity to form new ties; however, it also finds that tie
formation is heavily biased by triadic closure and focal closure, which effectively
constrain the opportunities among which individuals may select. In the case of
triadic closure, moreover, selection to "friend of a friend" status is determined
by an analogous combination of individual preference and structural proximity. The
authors conclude that the dynamic interplay of choice homophily and induced
homophily, compounded over many "generations" of biased selection of similar
individuals to structurally proximate positions, can amplify even a modest
preference for similar others, via a cumulative advantage-like process, to produce
striking patterns of observed homophily.
