The Weakness of Tie Strength

• In Event: 562 - Regular Session. Social Networks

Abstract

Mark Granovetter revolutionized social science with the argument that “weak” ties provide more novel content than “strong” ties. Unfortunately, it is increasingly apparent that tie strength lacks both theoretical adequacy and empirical rigor. This paper unpacks Granovetter's original argument, and subsequent scholarship, to identify three factors that should replace the concept of tie strength: capacity (the ability of a tie to transmit content), latency (the average time between tie activations), and redundancy (the extent to which a tie reaches the same others). Simulation models are used to show that classically defined “strong” and “weak” ties are special cases of this new CLeaR model, and to reveal new, and currently understudied, relationship types.

Author

• Matthew E. Brashears, Cornell University