Connection is the basis of communication.  But we don’t usually think of it.  So often when we study communication, we don’t consider the importance of how connection works, how it structures our actions (not only our relationships) and shapes our lives.

Christakis and Fowler see social networks everywhere.  Embedded in social network theory, their basic perspective will be familiar to most communication scholars.  Nodes and links and ties and configurations.  Yet they avoid the analysis that can make social network research overly technical and inaccessible to many. Instead, they demonstrate how paying attention to social networks can help explain human behaviors in a multitude of situations.  As they put it in the subtitle of their book, “The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives.”

One strength of this book is that it takes the consideration of social networks beyond the typical study of configurations.  Instead, it seeks to demonstrate impact on specific behaviors and relationships that we wouldn’t necessarily have expected. Particularly for undergraduate students, topics such as close relationships, political behavior, the work world and the internet are relevant and accessible.  The book is rich with material for good class discussions.

This accessibility is useful as well for communication scholars who might not otherwise have considered the ways that social networks intersect with other areas of research. Interesting data visualizations help open some space for exploring these connections.  It was not a surprise to find that neither of the authors is from communication (Fowler, in fact, is a geneticist).  Once the authors turned to discussing the social aspect of network effects, the explanations often reflected either a deterministic perspective or a cognitive perspective. The role of communication, particularly its role in constituting our social world, was largely absent.

For more information, http://connectedthebook.com/

Christakis, Nicholas A. and James H. Fowler. 2009. Connected: The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. Little, Brown and Company: New York.