(Social) Network Analysis

University of Pisa, AA22/23

Teachers

Prof. Dino Pedreschi Prof. Giulio Rossetti Valentina Pansanella

(teaching assistant)
Course Schedule [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Monday, h 9:00 - 10:45, Fib C

When: upon appointment When: upon appointment When: upon appointment
Wednesday, h 9:00 - 10:45, Fib M1
Where: Online Where: Online Where: Online
Course Materials
E-learning: GitHub Repositories: Books:

● Lessons schedule ● Past Exams ● D. Easley, J. Kleinberg:

● Slides ● Final Project (at the end of the course!) Networks, Crowds, and Markets.
● Announcements ● Tutorials ● A. L. Barabasi:
● https://elearning.di.unipi.it/ ● https://github.com/sna-unipi Network Science
● D. Zinoviev:
Complex Network Analysis in Python
● M. Coscia:
The Atlas for Aspiring Network Scientists
 1st part: The Architecture of Complex Networks
Networks and Graphs
Random graphs

General Outline
It’s a Small world
Scale Free Networks
Centrality & Assortative Mixing
Tie Strength & Resilience
High-order Network Analysis

2nd part: The Dynamics of Complex Networks

Community Discovery
Dynamic of networks
Link Prediction
Dynamic Community Discovery
Diffusion: Decision based models Hands-On
Diffusion: Epidemics - Gephi & Cytoscape
- Python
Diffusion: Opinion Dynamics

3rd part: Case Studies

Cognitive Network Science (guest lecturer: Prof. Massimo Stella, Uni. Exeter)
Polarization, Echo Chambers and Online Debates
SNA @ KDD Laboratory
Exams
Standard Exam:
1. Written Test (TBD)
2. Group Project + Oral discussion
○ Network construction & analysis
○ Python code + Report

Mid Term Exams:

● Exercises on the two part of the course
● Substitute the full written test
● Examples from past years (exercises may vary):
https://github.com/sna-unipi/Exams
Chapter 1

Why should we care about Complex Networks?

Summary
● Complexity
● Real world networks
● Emergence of Network Science

Reading
● Chapter 1 & 2 of Kleinberg's book
● Chapter 1 of Barabasi's book.
● Complexity Explained
 Complexity, a scientific theory which asserts that
Complex some systems display behavioral phenomena that
are completely inexplicable by any conventional
analysis of the systems’ constituent parts. These
[adj., v. kuh m-pleks, kom-pleks; n. kom-pleks] phenomena, commonly referred to as emergent
adjective behaviour, seem to occur in many complex systems
involving living organisms, such as a stock market or
1. Composed of many interconnected the human brain.
parts; compound; composite: a complex
highway system. Source: John L. Casti, Encyclopædia Britannica

2. Characterized by a very complicated or

involved arrangement of parts, units,
etc.: complex machinery.
Complexity
3. So complicated or intricate as to be hard
to understand or deal with: a complex
problem.

Source: Dictionary.com
Behind each complex system
there is a network,
that defines the interactions
between the components.
Suggested Reading
Complexity Explained
https://complexityexplained.github.io/

8
Examples of

Complex Systems

The Facebook “Social Graph”

Keith Shepherd's "Sunday Best”.

http://baseballart.com/2010/07/shades-of-greatness-a-story-that-needed-to-be-told/
Examples of

Complex Systems departments

consultants

The structure of an organization external experts

www.orgnet.com

Links:
Collaborations

Financial

R&D

Nodes:
Companies

Investment

Pharma

Research Labs

Public

Biotechnology
http://ecclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/Movie
Examples of

Complex Systems

The Internet backbone,

The World Wide Web...
Examples of

Complex Systems

Human Genes

Humans have only about three times as

many genes as the fly, so human complexity
seems unlikely to come from a sheer
quantity of genes.

Rather, some scientists suggest, each

human has a network with different parts
like genes, proteins and groups.
Examples of

Complex Systems Drosophila

Homo Sapiens
Melanogaster

Human Genes (cont’d)

In the generic networks shown, the

points represent the elements of each Complex systems
organism’s genetic network, and the Made of many non-identical
dotted lines show the interactions elements connected by diverse
interactions.
between them.

NETWORK
The role of networks
Behind each system studied in complexity
there is an intricate wiring diagram, or a
network, that defines the interactions
between the component.

We will never understand complex system

unless we map out and understand the
networks behind them.
Examples of

Real world Networks

Type: Social Type: Scientific Collaborations

Nodes: Individuals Nodes: Researchers
Links: Social relationship Links: Co-Authorships

Type: Actor connectivity Type: Communication

Nodes: Actors Nodes: Phones, Airports..
Links: Cast jointly Links: Phone calls, Flights..
Examples of

Real world Networks (cont’d)

Type: Technological Type: Scientific Citation

Nodes: PC, Routers Nodes: Papers
Links: Physical lines Links: Citations

Type: Biological Type: Mobility

Nodes: Species Nodes: Individuals, Cars...
Links: Trophic interactions Links: Co-Location...
 Data Availability
1990 C. elegans neural wiring diagram
1998 - Movie Actor Network
1998 - Citation Networks
The Emergence of 1999 -World Wide Web
2000 - Metabolic Networks

Network Science 2001 - PPI network

2008 - OSNs

Universality
The architecture of networks emerging in various
The (urgent) need to understand complexity domains of science, nature, and technology are more
similar to each other than one would have expected.
Despite the challenges complex systems offer us,
we cannot afford to not address their behavior, a
view increasingly shared both by scientists and
policy makers.

Networks are not only essential for this journey,

but during the past decade some of the most
important advances towards understanding
complexity were provided in context of network
theory.
The Life of Networks
(Online) Social Networks
(Incomplete)

History of Network Analysis

Graph Theory Communication Network Network Science

Internet
Euler Barabasi

1930s 1980s

1735 1960s 2000s

Social Network Research Ecological Network

Moreno May
1
G
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The Tools of

Th
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2
So
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N
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Th
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3
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St
at
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Ph
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4
Modern Network Theory

Co
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5

Bi
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6

St
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Chapter 1

Conclusion

Take Away Messages Suggested Readings What’s Next

1. Complex Systems can be modeled ● Chapter 1 & 2 of Kleinberg's book Chapter 2:
with networks! ● Chapter 1 of Barabasi's book. Networks & Graphs: Basic
2. Node & Edge semantics shape the ● Complexity Explained Measures
networks structure
3. Network Science is, by definition, https://complexityexplained.github.io/
an interdisciplinary field of study