Characterizing Nodes and Edges in Dynamic Attributed Networks: A Social-based Approach

Abstract: How to characterize nodes and edges in dynamic attributed networks based on social aspects? We address this problem by exploring the strength of the ties between actors and their associated attributes over time, thus capturing the social roles of the actors and the meaning of their dynamic interactions in different social network scenarios. For this, we apply social concepts to promote a better understanding of the underlying complexity that involves actors and their social motivations. More specifically, we explore the notion of social capital given by the strategic positioning of a particular actor in a social structure by means of the concepts of brokerage, the ability of creating bridges with diversified patterns, and closure, the ability of aggregating nodes with similar patterns. As a result, we unveil the differences of social interactions in distinct academic coauthorship networks and questions & answers communities. We also statistically validate our social definitions considering the importance of the nodes and edges in a social structure by means of network properties.