Researchers have paid increasing attention to the core discussion network, the set of people we turn to when discussing important matters. Because the core discussion network is theorized to be composed of people’s closest ties, not fleeting acquaintances, it is expected to be largely stable, evolving slowly over the span of people’s lives. However, recent studies have shown that networks are strongly affected by the contexts in which people interact with others, and as people experience life course transitions, they also often enter new contexts – school, college, work, marriage, and retirement. We ask whether, as actors enter new social contexts, the core discussion network remains stable or changes rapidly. Mario Luis Small, Harvard University.

Small, Mario L, Vontrese Deeds Pamphile, and Peter McMahan.  2015. “How Stable is the Core Discussion Network?” Social Networks 40:90-102

Image courtesy of interviewee. May 2, 2017