Seeing Like A Network

Denser information networks shape what spreads through them and, in turn, the culture that emerges. Fast-spreading ideas can take over a dense network, while sparse networks let isolated pockets of ideas survive longer. Researchers Se Jung Park, Yon Soo Lim, and Han Woo Park studied the Occupy Wall Street movement and found that Twitter formed a loosely connected hub-and-spoke network, with central users bridging smaller communities, while YouTube formed a dense mesh where similar videos reinforced shared ideas. Their analysis covered 462 videos, examining views, ratings, comments, and geographic data.