Homophily in Social Media

Humans have gotten addicted to social media platforms such as Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, with specialists voicing alarm about this trend, particularly among young people. Fear of missing out, obsessive compulsive behavior, and the drive to compare oneself to others are all elements that lead to feeling connected to social media (Walrave, et al., 2016). Humans naturally compare themselves to others, and social media gives a venue for people to discuss the desirable aspects of their lives. People prefer social media connections because they prevent the unpleasantness of starting discussions, provide new content, and are accessible to people of all ages. Homophily can be described as the tendency of people with similar social behaviors to have ties (Humphreys, 2016). Social media has become an infinite space of interactions with new ties being formed in same ways they are formed in the real world. People in social media are friends to those who share similar interests and values. Homophily is has various benefits such as aiding in decision making, exchanging ideas and development of professional networks

Social media uses algorithm and homophily to introduce new products, news or people who may expand the social networks of others. For instance, if you read or like articles about vehicles on Facebook, more similar articles will appear on your news feed. Connecting helps in getting things started, homophily develops and algorithms help to expand the proves even further (Ting, Hong & Wang, 2012). The impact of social media algorithms can result in feelings of connectedness, appreciation and understanding of our similarities. These are some of the potential benefits of social media.

References

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Bottom of FormHumphreys, A. (2016). Social media: Enduring principles.

Ting, I.-H., Hong, T.-P., & Wang, L. S.-L. (2012). Social network mining, analysis, and research trends: Techniques and applications. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Walrave, M., Ponnet, K., Vanderhoven, E., Haers, J., & Segaert, B. (2016). Youth 2.0: social media and adolescence: Connecting, sharing and empowering.