Strength of Weak Ties

There was a very influential paper in sociology in the 1970s by Granovetter..."The strength of weak ties." In his analysis of social networks, Granovetter notes that the individuals who link between social groups are very influential because it is through them that information gets spread. These people have weak ties to us, but are bridges to other networks. After all, if we tell a rumor to our best friends, who are also all best friends, the story won't get very far. But, if one member of our network is linked to another network and spreads the story into that network, then the story is more widely diffused. He focuses on the bridges between networks in information diffusion and social cohesion.

I was thinking of the phrase the other day in my exercise class. I've been working out with these women for about 12 months. The group size varies from 5 to 25, but usually is about 15 women. We represent a pretty wide range of ages and fitness levels. There are no women in the group with whom I am close friends. A few I know pretty well from school activities, a few I know by name, and some I don't know at all--even after 12 months of sweating together. But, the group has expanded my social network and created more "weak ties." I now have access to information about other people and events in our community that I did not have before. I am more embedded, even though none of these women are my intimate friends in the traditional sense.