Long-distance diffusion and strongly tied bridges: The influence of the originator's network

Abstract

Network researchers have viewed a few influential individuals as driving the diffusion of ideas among individuals while paying little attention to the ways by which diffusion events came about in the first place. This study examines the role of the first adopters in the diffusion of simple ideas. To this end, it draws on the diffusion events of individual blog-posts in an online social community over a one-month period from 1 June to 30 June 2006. This study finds that an idea is likely to diffuse to remote contacts as the proportion of strong ties held by the source; that is, the idea originator, increases or as the social relations surrounding the source become dense. The analysis of this study suggests that the neighbors of the source play a pivotal role in the diffusion of simple ideas, and that an idea that is validated and supported early on by a cohesive group is likely to diffuse to remote contacts.