Signed networks allow us to move beyond simple notions of connectivity by representing relationships as positive, negative, or potentially neutral. This makes it possible to study how patterns of support and conflict are organised across a social system, how they relate to polarization and individual positioning, and how those structures evolve over time. In this talk, I will bring together theoretical and empirical work showing how structural balance can be extended across scales, and how longitudinal signed networks can display a coexistence between substantial relational turnover and stable macroscopic structure. I will also discuss ongoing work that extends the relational state space beyond positive and negative ties by distinguishing neutral relationships from absent ones, and how this affects our interpretation of balance and stability. Finally, I will present preliminary evidence on whether we can learn, from network structure, which social mechanisms are predictive of changes in relationships.
Andreia Sofia Teixeira, Associate Professor, Northeastern University London
Host: Istvan Kovacs
Joan West
(847) 491-3645
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