lecture Tag

Network Analysis @ Bremen University | 10/2015

In October 2015, I hosted a workshop on network analysis at the University of Bremen in Germany. A group of PhDs and master students were interested to learn more about various applications of graph theory, especially in the field of sociology and text analysis. I presented my work on the dynamics of protest groups and artistic communities showing how there is a correlation between the structure of the community and its ability to mobilize. The groups that are more densely connected are the ones that are more susceptible to fads and to infiltration, but they also have a higher mobilizing force [singularity]. Groups that are less densely connected and have so-called small-world structure (distinct interconnected communities that are somewhat connected on the global level) take slower to mobilize, but they are also more resilient [polysingularity]. Groups that are too centralized may be better controlled but are not resilient and will not...

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Collective Action Lecture @ Re:Publica | 05/2012

In May 2012, I gave a presentation on collective action and information epidemics at Re:Publica conference in Berlin. In the year prior to that, Russia saw a rise in opposition movements that self-organized on the internet using various platforms. Using my background in network science, I studied these online communities to extract some of the principles for self-organization that are typical for an uprising. To me, the most interesting part was how much correlation there is between the structure of the network and the collective choreography it can perform, both in the physical space during a demonstration and in the virtual space for self-organization and maintenance. It turned out that communities that are tightly knit are better mobilised but at the expense of a shorter lifespan. They are also more susceptible to infiltration as there are no backup centers of powers. So there is a certain balance to be found when...

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