Multiplexity is temporal: effects of social times on network structure

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Ureña-Carrion, Javier, Heydari, Sara, Aledavood, Talayeh, Saramäki, Jari, Kivelä, Mikko
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866917715038437376
author Ureña-Carrion, Javier
Heydari, Sara
Aledavood, Talayeh
Saramäki, Jari
Kivelä, Mikko
author_facet Ureña-Carrion, Javier
Heydari, Sara
Aledavood, Talayeh
Saramäki, Jari
Kivelä, Mikko
contents Large-scale social networks constructed using contact metadata have been invaluable tools for understanding and testing social theories of society-wide social structures. However, multiplex relationships explaining different social contexts have been out of reach of this methodology, limiting our ability to understand this crucial aspect of social systems. We propose a method that infers latent social times from the weekly activity of large-scale contact metadata, and reconstruct multilayer networks where layers correspond to social times. We then analyze the temporal multiplexity of ties in a society-wide communication network of millions of individuals. This allows us to test the propositions of Feld's social focus theory across a society-wide network: We show that ties favour their own social times regardless of contact intensity, suggesting they reflect underlying social foci. We present a result on strength of monoplex ties, which indicates that monoplex ties are bridging and even more important for global network connectivity than the weak, low-contact ties. Finally, we show that social times are transitive, so that when egos use a social time for a small subset of alters, the alters use the social time among themselves as well. Our framework opens up a way to analyse large-scale communication as multiplex networks and uncovers society-level patterns of multiplex connectivity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_05929
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Multiplexity is temporal: effects of social times on network structure
Ureña-Carrion, Javier
Heydari, Sara
Aledavood, Talayeh
Saramäki, Jari
Kivelä, Mikko
Physics and Society
Social and Information Networks
Large-scale social networks constructed using contact metadata have been invaluable tools for understanding and testing social theories of society-wide social structures. However, multiplex relationships explaining different social contexts have been out of reach of this methodology, limiting our ability to understand this crucial aspect of social systems. We propose a method that infers latent social times from the weekly activity of large-scale contact metadata, and reconstruct multilayer networks where layers correspond to social times. We then analyze the temporal multiplexity of ties in a society-wide communication network of millions of individuals. This allows us to test the propositions of Feld's social focus theory across a society-wide network: We show that ties favour their own social times regardless of contact intensity, suggesting they reflect underlying social foci. We present a result on strength of monoplex ties, which indicates that monoplex ties are bridging and even more important for global network connectivity than the weak, low-contact ties. Finally, we show that social times are transitive, so that when egos use a social time for a small subset of alters, the alters use the social time among themselves as well. Our framework opens up a way to analyse large-scale communication as multiplex networks and uncovers society-level patterns of multiplex connectivity.
title Multiplexity is temporal: effects of social times on network structure
topic Physics and Society
Social and Information Networks
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.05929