0030 (Intro Review Questions)
Q30. Write out your responses to the following.
- Lists
- Name at least ten areas of human, social, natural phenomena that have been explored by network researchers.
- Identify/describe three networks you have encountered this week.
- Name at least five academic disciplines in which the study of networks has become a big deal.
- Meta
- Newman, et al. mention "theoretical" work, "empirical" work, and modeling as activities associated with network science. What do you understand by each of these?
- Hansen, et al. (and to a lesser extent other authors here) suggest some grandiose assessments of network science's place in the history of science. Newman et al. hint at some tensions between the kind of data social scientists collect and the tools they have for analyzing them and the kind of data used in the "new science of networks" and the tools brought to the task by physicists and computer scientists. Can you zero in on the passages and identify some of the issues?
- In sections 1.6-8, Hansen et al. describe applications of social media to public problems, crowdsourcing, and problems of engagement, mentioning, eventually, the term "sociotechnical systems." Meditate a bit on the dual answers this suggests to the question "how can I use my degree in sociology (or whatever your major is)?" — either studying how technology changes the world or being actively involved in designing things that can change the world.
- Real World
- From how many realms do your facebook friends come? Estimate the macro-structure of your facebook network just based on thinking about it. How does it show the different social circles you are a member of? How does it show your different "sides"? How does it show your personal biography? How big do you think the different clusters are? Can you think of people who link the different clusters together?
