More social connections with weaker ties lead to greater polarization

Social networks, intended to bring people together, can actually increase polarization, new research finds, because while the links in the network may be plentiful, they're probably weak.

A research team including Cornell sociologist Michael Macy has found that while the growing number of international contacts enabled by modern communications technologies may indeed contribute to greater polarization, as shown in previous studies, the underlying mechanism does not necessarily depend on an increase in close friendships. Instead, weaker social ties appear to play a more significant role, as they are more likely to foster hierarchical structures shaped by social status.

"The most important argument in our paper is the polarizing effect of 'status-driven dynamics' involving weak ties," said Macy, with "status" referring to whether an individual holds another in high or low esteem. "The importance lies in the distinction between structural and ideological polarization."

Macy, together with Piotr Górski and Janusz Hołyst, at Warsaw University of Technology, and Giacomo Vaccario at ETH Zurich, examines the mechanisms that drive social polarization in "More Connections, Higher Polarization: The Role of Weak Ties and Status-Driven Dynamics," published June 29 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.