Sunday, September 21, 2014

SNA All-Star: Mark Granovetter

Mark Granovetter is a Stanford sociologist and SNA all-star. He holds an AB in History from Princeton University and a PhD in Sociology from Harvard University. He is best known for his work in social network theory and economic sociology. His most well known work is “the Strength of Weak Ties” which focuses on relationships and the spread of information in social networks.

Granovetter was a student of Harrison White, who developed a social network center in the Sociology department at Harvard. It was during his time at Harvard and working with mathematical techniques that Granovetter started to develop the base for his work on the spread of information within social networks and “The Strength of Weak Ties.” The paper has become one of the most cited articles within social network analysis and has influenced many within the field including Ron Burt.


In addition to analyzing relationships within a network, Granovetter also did significant work on how trends are created known as “tipping points” or threshold models. This theory influenced Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point.” Together with Thomas Schelling, Granovetter created the concept of critical mass in an attempt to explain people’s behaviors as well as phenomenon.

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