Explain the concept of "the strength of weak ties." How are weak ties strong? Be sure to define strong ties, weak ties, primary groups, and secondary groups, and use an example that illustrates these groups and ties.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers vary but should include an explanation of Mark Granovetter's social network theory about the "strength of weak ties." Strong ties are the ties we have to primary groups: The tie is strong because we have important close relationships. Primary groups are people who are in our closest circles such as family and close friends. Weak ties are people we are acquaintances with, and secondary groups are the acquaintances we know, usually through a limited number of dimensions in our lives, such as sports team members, coworkers, or members of the church. Weak ties are strong because we can network with a much larger group and possibly accomplish more. Granovetter demonstrated that those who have weak ties can move between groups and gain power from being tied to more people. For instance, about half of U.S. workers got jobs through referrals, which relies on being able to access many weak ties through a network. Answers may mention that online networks such as Facebook can access the strength of weak ties, but the ties may be too weak to be effective in the same way as pre-Internet weak ties for accomplishing goals.