Information Spread in a Social Media Age

3

Social Theory and Networks

“If you wish to win a man over to your ideas, first make him your friend.”

Abraham Lincoln

Due to the breadth of areas of study required to have a fundamental understanding of mathematical modeling and control of online social media information spread, a summary of some previous works is helpful. As such, social theory is addressed in this chapter, particularly how social theory applies to social networks. While relatively brief, it lays the fundamental groundwork for understanding information spread in more breadth. The chapter begins with a condensed history of social theory and the philosophical thought that led to its development from the ancient world to the contemporary world. It moves on to modern social ...