The Influence of Sociopolitical and Sociocultural Context on Hyperlinks

• In Event: Focusing Theories on Communication Technology #1

Abstract

To understand how contextual forces and institutional pressures influence who hyperlinks to whom online, the current research examines a hyperlink network of 410 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in China. Using the unique Chinese socio-political and socio-cultural context, our findings suggest that institutional forces external to the network have profound impact on the configuration of NGO hyperlink networks. Government-organized NGOs (GONGOs) tend to hyperlink to GONGOs and grassroots NGOs tend to hyperlink to grassroots NGOs. In addition, legally registered NGOs prefer to connect with registered NGOs and non-registered NGOs prefer to link to non-registered NGOs. Further, geography-based homophily embedded in common socio-economic and socio-cultural regional environments had greater effects than the other two types of institutional homophily to construct collective action networks among NGOs in China. Implications for hyperlink networks, NGOs, homophily theory, institutional theory, as well as the development of civil society in China are drawn from the results.

Authors

• Jiawei Sophia Fu, Northwestern University

• Michelle D. Shumate, Northwestern University