Table of Contents
Definition of Social Network
(noun) A set of relationships that link an individual to other individuals.
Social Network Pronunciation
Syllabification: so·cial net·work
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sOH-shuhl nEt-wuhrk/
- British English – /sOH-shuhl nE-twuhrk/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈsoʊʃəl ˈnɛˌtwɜrk/
- British English – /ˈsəʊʃəl ˈnɛtwɜːk/
Usage Notes
- Plural: social networks
- Social network analysis examines the numerous aspects of social networks.
- Social networks are not groups in the sociological sense as they are formed in relation to an individual.
Related Quotations
- “All individuals are embedded in networks of social relations; that is, everybody knows somebody. Social capital focuses attention on differential access to opportunities though social connections. Individual and family social connections mediate access to educational, occupational, and economic opportunity” (McNamee and Miller 2013:77).
- “[Inheritance is b]roadly defined as one’s initial starting point in life based on parental position, includes a set of cumulative nonmerit advantage for all except the poorest of the poor. These include enhanced childhood standards of living, differential access to cultural capital, differential access to social networks of power and influence, infusions of parental capital while parents are still alive, greater health and life expectancy, and the inheritance of bulk estates when parents die” (McNamee and Miller 2013:71).
Related Videos
Additional Information
Related Terms
Reference
McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
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Cite the Definition of Social Network
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “social network.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/social-network/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
social network. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/social-network/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “social network.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/social-network/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“social network.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/social-network/>.