Central nodes and surprise in content selection in social networks

Abstract

Limited attention has been paid to the influence that social network dimensions associated to senders position relative to the receiver may have on an individuals choices of contents. Thus, it is relevant to know how network dimensions (i.e., network centrality, structural holes, and tie strength) may influence the content selection by receivers. This raises the question of what determines such content selection. These relationships are empirically tested by using both social network data and participants survey data. Findings show that despite the fact that degree and strength of tie are associated with central positions in the network, they are not related to individuals choices of contents. Findings also suggest that structural holes in association with the emotion of surprise, used as a proxy for the perception of novelty, offer a good representation of peoples behavior when they select contents. These are valuable arguments to enhance content personalization with new perspectives for receivers.