Every single thing in this world is connected in one way or another. Some may be connected on an extremely basic level, but these connections always exist. In Scott Weingart’s blog post titled “Demystifying Networks”, he discusses how many of these “networks” are created each and every day. More specifically, he touches on how many assumptions are made when various networks are established as well as the risks associated with them. The analogy “when you’re given your first hammer, everything looks like a nail” outlines the practice of creating too many networks and complicating an idea or object’s true purpose or intention. The vast array of unique networks can each include a certain topic or specific event; rendering it difficult to be associated with one specific emotion or purpose.
Twitter is a type of social network that incorporates millions of these “sub-networks”. The image above shows the most prevalent hashtags used on twitter following the Boston Marathon bombing. Every time a user posted a tweet using one of these hashtags, it immediately connected their post and their profile to a huge network of other Twitter users discussing the same related event. Users established networks using singular hashtags such as “#prayforboston” and “bostonstrong”, which then all combined to form the more comprehensive network shown in the picture that related to the entire Boston Marathon tragedy as a whole. This example shows how many extensive networks can branch off from one singular event or subject, and how many individuals can become instantly connected to a network through just one hashtag they post to Twitter.
Social media sites in general have exponentially increased the amount of networks created, and have made the process of creating a new network nearly effortless. Going off of Weingart’s personal beliefs pertaining to the subject, we need to ensure that we do not lose the “theoretical and logical caveats” associated with all of these networks. Naturally, everyone will have differing feelings and outlooks towards specific networks that are created, and we must recognize this difference and understand its implications. Although a certain hashtag on twitter may connect a string of user’s posts and ideas on a network, by no means does that make the unique feelings and ideas embedded within the posts exactly the same. It is difficult to decipher the level of connectedness across different networks, which is why we must use caution when analyzing any data drawn from them.
Sources:
- Scott Weingart, “Demystifying Networks” http://www.scottbot.net/ HIAL/?p=6279
- Image: http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2014/03/Twitter-map.jpg