On Facebook, Scholars Link Up With Data

The New York Times

By Stephanie Rosenbloom

December 17, 2007

A team of researchers at Harvard and UCLA are monitoring the Facebook profiles of a class of students to study how personal tastes and habits affect how social relationships are formed. Research has found that the benefits of Facebook friends may include a positive impact on students’ well-being. Researches have also noted the large presence of “weak ties” with people met at parties or functions that are not very close friends. These weak ties have been found to provide the person with new perspectives and opportunities that might not be present in their circle of close friends. The Harvard-UCLA researchers are investigating the concept of triadic closure present in Facebook. They have noticed that one’s friends are becoming friends with each other. The researchers have found that triadic closure can be very helpful in bringing people together and preventing social isolation and suicidal thoughts.

This Article describes research on Facebook involving concepts of social networks that we have discussed in detail. The research investigates how social relationships are formed. In class we explored how a network is structured and how common traits will create a tie between two people, and how triadic closure can fill in missing ties in a network resulting in the strengthening and connecting of the entire network. Towards the end of the article they mention the research Harvard and UCLA are doing on triadic closure specifically. The researchers have found data that shows people friending friends of their friends, which ultimately results in a stronger network, as is seen in the reduction of social isolation and suicidal thoughts. Along with the concept of triadic closure comes the use of “weak ties” in the article to describe when a person friends someone they met at a party but don’t know too well. The researches have found data that this occurs, and that it is also very positive because it gives people new opportunities and perspectives. Facebook is one of the best ways researchers can investigate the creation and strengthening of networks. It is an easily traceable network of millions of people that are constantly making new ties with other people through triadic closure and other methods of socializing.