Social Media - A guide for researchers - ICT Digital Literacy

Network theory tells us that networks increase in complexity faster than they increase in size. So a
network with 5 members has 10 connections, one with 10 members has 45 connections, and one with 15
members has 105 connections.
Figure 3: How networks increase in complexity
A solution to the problem of over-complexity is to organise large networks as smaller tightly-connected
clusters which are joined together by a few connectors. In the tightly-connected local clusters,
information spreads quickly and without much discrimination, while the long-range interactions
with fewer connections act as a filter which allows a limited amount of information to flow from one
local cluster to another (Montanari & Saberi, 2010). In practice, local clusters are associated with
shared interests, such as academic disciplines, or are geographical, such as institutions. Connectors
are individuals who serve a vital role in the network by spanning what would otherwise be isolated
communities.
‘
My network is comprised of people I know, people I know from their blogs or
online presence who I haven’t met in person.
Chris Jobling (Lecturer, Engineering)
‘
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