Blog 4: Network Analysis

I have anticipated the network analysis module more than any other in this course, and was not disappointed.  The course has definitely been building to this, starting with the shared TEDx talk by Professor Ram which emphasized how data is about connections.  My usual culinary-themed take on the modules seems a little too on the nose with the Recipe network being a primary case study for the lectures.  Nonetheless, here it goes.

With the stunning visuals network analysis produces, I appreciated the back-to-basics approach to the start of this module.  It can be easy to superficially abstract some basic patterns in the networks such as the obvious clusters and groupings - like the Google verus Apple network.  At first glance, you see the difference in the companies that more or less aligns with the broadly held understanding of the differences in their organizational design approaches.  However, this sense deepens with the application of network analysis and metrics, which further informs us about Google's predilection for purchasing patents whereas Apple maintains their secretive core (food pun intended).

Having a firmer grasp of the math and thinking behind network analysis, I found the "Thinking in Network Terms" online article with Albert-Iaszlo Barabasi of Northeastern University to be one of the most thought provoking reads of the course.  While there a great many insights that can be learned from network analysis today, it is clear that this method is only going to grow in capabilities and opportunities.  Throughout the article, I got the sense that Albert-Iaszlo Barabasi was both wanting to share the amazing future possibilities, but with an undertone of Uncle Ben's advice: "With great power, comes great responsibility".  His analogy of network analysis being like the first telescope and giving birth to a new field of science (astrophysics) emphasized for me that despite this being a "tool", what we can learn from it can create new research frontiers. Should there ever be a university that teaches computational social sciences, I will be among the first enrolled.  

Social Science Research Methods