Social Network Evolution: A Case Study of UK Directors

Abstract

Social network can be seen as a dynamic process of creating and breaking down relationships among network members. The network evolution is of major interest to researchers in this area due to discovering patterns of structural changes in the network. In this study, the evolution of UK directors' social network is examined. The study carried out on a systematic analysis of network properties and evolution factors. The network properties include shortest path, number of shared affiliations, cyclic closure and triadic closure property. It is observed that directors who are not connected directly in specific year and have only a single intermediary between them are more likely to form a connection in the future than the directors with two intermediaries. Moreover, the number of mutual friends increases the chances of a connection between the directors in future.