Description:

Kevin Lewis, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California - San Diego

The Genesis of Homogeneity in Mating Patterns

Abstract
Abstract: Human interactions are dynamic and multiplex; relationship data are generally not. While this fact has long been recognized, its implications for the study of segregation (homogeneity) in social networks have yet to be explored. In this talk, I use behavioral data from a popular online dating site to examine the first three stages of interaction that could potentially spawn a romantic relationship: profile views, initiation messages, and first replies. Even within this narrow empirical focus—long before the “relationship” would first be captured by traditional measures—I show that conclusions about the degree of segregation and intergroup distance vary dramatically depending on what stage of interaction we consider; whether this stage is considered conditionally on the prior stage or cumulatively of all prior stages; whether we focus on male or female senders/recipients; and what other data are available. I conclude by exploring the implications of these findings for traditional research on mate choice.

Bio
Kevin Lewis is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, San Diego and a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of social networks; the micro-mechanisms of social interaction that give rise to observed network patterns; and the implications of these processes for the genesis and reproduction of inequality. To address these topics, he has analyzed a number of large-scale network datasets—spanning topics from online dating to internet activism to college students’ behavior on Facebook—and his work has been published in a variety of sociological and interdisciplinary journals.