The methodology of the network analysis of social structures

Abstract

Some non-trivial properties of network structures in social media, which are revealed on the basis of the methodology of network analysis, are considered in the article. It is shown, in particular, that nowadays the emphasis shifts from the study of social complexity to the study of social network structures. The evolutionary trend is the transition from hierarchies to networks, and the process of forming network structures is explored as a phenomenon of networkization. The processes of rapid growth of network structures and the risks of their destruction are essentially non-linear. Of great interest are also the small-world phenomenon and the strength of weak links in network structures.