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Human Communication Dynamics in Digital Footsteps: A Study of the Agreement between Self-Reported Ties and Email Networks

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  • Stefan Wuchty
  • Brian Uzzi

Abstract

Digital communication data has created opportunities to advance the knowledge of human dynamics in many areas, including national security, behavioral health, and consumerism. While digital data uniquely captures the totality of a person's communication, past research consistently shows that a subset of contacts makes up a person's “social network” of unique resource providers. To address this gap, we analyzed the correspondence between self-reported social network data and email communication data with the objective of identifying the dynamics in e-communication that correlate with a person's perception of a significant network tie. First, we examined the predictive utility of three popular methods to derive social network data from email data based on volume and reciprocity of bilateral email exchanges. Second, we observed differences in the response dynamics along self-reported ties, allowing us to introduce and test a new method that incorporates time-resolved exchange data. Using a range of robustness checks for measurement and misreporting errors in self-report and email data, we find that the methods have similar predictive utility. Although e-communication has lowered communication costs with large numbers of persons, and potentially extended our number of, and reach to contacts, our case results suggest that underlying behavioral patterns indicative of friendship or professional contacts continue to operate in a classical fashion in email interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Wuchty & Brian Uzzi, 2011. "Human Communication Dynamics in Digital Footsteps: A Study of the Agreement between Self-Reported Ties and Email Networks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(11), pages 1-8, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0026972
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026972
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aaron Clauset & Cristopher Moore & M. E. J. Newman, 2008. "Hierarchical structure and the prediction of missing links in networks," Nature, Nature, vol. 453(7191), pages 98-101, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marcel Maurer & Norbert Bach & Simon Oertel, 2023. "Changes in formal structure towards self-managing organization and their effects on the intra-organizational communication network," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 12(3), pages 83-98, September.
    2. Adam M. Kleinbaum & Toby E. Stuart & Michael L. Tushman, 2013. "Discretion Within Constraint: Homophily and Structure in a Formal Organization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1316-1336, October.
    3. Keeran Kowlaser & Helena Barnard, 2016. "Tie Breadth, Tie Strength And The Location Of Ties: The Value Of Ties Inside An Emerging Mnc To Team Innovation," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(01), pages 1-31, January.
    4. Luke J Matthews & Peter DeWan & Elizabeth Y Rula, 2013. "Methods for Inferring Health-Related Social Networks among Coworkers from Online Communication Patterns," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(2), pages 1-11, February.
    5. Fumarco, Luca & Baert, Stijn, 2019. "Relative age effect on European adolescents’ social network," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 318-337.
    6. Leon, Ramona – Diana & Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Raúl & Gómez-Gasquet, Pedro & Mula, Josefa, 2017. "Social network analysis: A tool for evaluating and predicting future knowledge flows from an insurance organization," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 103-118.
    7. Ronald S. Burt, 2019. "Network Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs: Density, Hierarchy, and Success in China and the West," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(1), pages 19-50, January.
    8. Billingsley, Joseph & Pollack, Jeffrey M. & Michaelis, Timothy L. & Tracy, Elizabeth M. & Barber, Dennis & Beorchia, Ace & Carr, Jon C. & Gonzalez, Gabe & Harris, Michael L. & Morrow, Grayson & Philli, 2023. "Exploring objective versus subjective social ties using entrepreneurs’ gmail data," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    9. Abigail Z. Jacobs & Duncan J. Watts, 2021. "A Large-Scale Comparative Study of Informal Social Networks in Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(9), pages 5489-5509, September.
    10. Ray Reagans & Param Vir Singh & Ramayya Krishnan, 2015. "Forgotten Third Parties: Analyzing the Contingent Association Between Unshared Third Parties, Knowledge Overlap, and Knowledge Transfer Relationships with Outsiders," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(5), pages 1400-1414, October.

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