SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS
Social Network Analysis
From the onset, it would be prudent to note that as Borgatti, Mehra, Brass, and Labianca (2009) point out, one of the most potent ideas in the social sciences is the notion that individuals are embodied in a thick web of social relations and interactions (892). In my opinion, social network analysis (SNA) could be conceptualized as an approach towards the assessment of relationship patterns among individuals within certain contexts, i.e. in group contexts. The said relationships could be represented in terms of graphs or other appropriate visual formats. Using the said visual representations, it is easy to establish close connections and, thus, better comprehend social relationships.
I consider myself part of several social networks. For instance, I have multiple friends and acquaintances. Some of the said friends and acquaintances are workmates whereas others are schoolmates. It therefore follows that within the context of this network of friends and acquaintances, I could consider myself to be part of a social network. I am also convinced that that the professional networks that I have built over the last few years could be thought of as a larger social network of which I am part of.
Social network analysis could come in handy in the criminal justice system. This is more so the case in efforts to zero in on the key players of organized crime, i.e. via criminal suspects social networks discovery, visualization as well as analysis. This could be done via the deployment of the relevant quantitative metrics. Investigations in this case can be made easier and resources saved by using SNA as a way of sifting through large amounts of data. Thus, it could be instrumental in efforts to reign in a wide range of offenses that thrive on social interactions, such as international terrorism as well as child pornography.
References
Borgatti, S.P., Mehra, A., Brass, D.J. & Labianca, G. (2009). Network Analysis in the Social Sciences. Science, 323, 892-895.
