Social & Neural Networks

• Network


  A set of units like nerves, species, individuals, institutions or states, and a rule that determines the "magnitude, and/or direction of ties" that exist between any two social identities or nodes
• Network


  • Shows the relations that exist between nodes
  • In most cases, the same nodes can be simultaneously related to multiple networks with each network defined by a particular set of rules
  • A set of networks that is made up of the same set of nodes, known as a hypernetwork or a multiplex
• Types of Networks


  • Relational networks
  • Affiliational networks
• Relational networks


  One-mode networks characterized by rules that determine the presence, direction, and extent of a relationships between any two units
• Relational networks


  • Neighborhood
  • Friendship
  • Alliance
  • Trade networks
• Affiliational networks


  Examples include membership in a professional organization, national membership in international organizations, or the distribution of the different provincial population based on their religion or ethnic affiliation
• Social units


  Actors - discrete individual or collective social units
• Connections


  Ties that link actors to one another, illustrating what links unit A to unit B
• Examples of connections


  • Behavioral connections
  • Physical connections
  • Association or affiliation
  • Evaluation of one person by another person
  • Formal relations
• Relationships


  The collection of ties among the actors, a collection of ties of a specific kind measured on pairs of actors from a particular group of social entities
• Social network


  A "subset of nodes that are organized through their ties with each other", a set of relations "made up of who knows whom, who is a friend of who, or who talks with whom", a set of relations that apply to a set of actors, as well as any additional information on those actors and relations
• Elements of social networks

  • Set of actors
  • Every actor has a set of individual attributes
  • Set of ties or connections that define at least one relation among actors
• Social network analysis


  The measurement of the characteristics of linkages between units, whether individuals, groups or organizations that form a defined population, providing an increase understanding of the morphological patterns within networks and centering on questions that explain why clusters and connections form within social life, and analyzing network complexities and directional asymmetries in network links
• Neural network


  A massively parallel distributed processor made up of simple processing units, which has a natural propensity for storing experimental knowledge and making it available for use
• Neural network


  • Knowledge is acquired by the network from its environment through a learning process
  • Interneuron connection strengths, known as sympatic weights, store the acquired knowledge
• Neural network


  (according to Dr. Robert Hecht-Nielsen) a computing system made up of several simple, highly interconnected processing elements, which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs
• Layers of neural networks

  • Input
  • Hidden layer
  • Output
• Neural networks


  • Process information like the human brain
  • Connectionist computational system
  • Have the ability to learn
• Social networks and neural networks

  • Both deal with identifying and tracing patterns, trends, connections, and relations
  • Social network looks into the relations of a group of social entities and any information with regard to each actors including the relations within the network, allowing experts to properly identify and analyze relations and connections within society
  • Neural networks have the ability to develop meaning from complex or inaccurate patterns, and can be used to extract patterns and identify trends that are too complicated for humans or other computer techniques
• Democracy


  Derived from the two Greek words, demos (people) and kratos (rule), meaning rule by the people, adhering to the rule of the people, where the protection of individual liberties, the conduct of free elections, and the assurance of political equality are safeguarded by the state, differing from other forms of government like dictatorship and oligarchy
• Models of democracy


  • Participatory democracy
  • Direct democracy
  • Representative or liberal democracy
• Participatory democracy


  People rule through the collective discussion of issues that need to be debated, discussing and considering possible solutions until an arrangement on the best solution or option for the group is achieved
• Major components of participatory democracy

  • All members have the opportunity to raise an issue, provide possible solutions, and take part in the crafting of the final decision
  • The issues are discussed during face-to-face meetings
  • There is much discussion involved in addressing the problem and everyone who wants to join can contribute to the discussion
  • Members want consensus
• Direct democracy


  People decide in an assembly or forum of citizens, without conducting an election or using representatives, having an element of proximity because people assemble in a particular venue and an element of directness because people decide for their community together and directly without the use of formal mediation, also shown when referendums are connected or "referendum democracy" where the decision can be made by representatives of the people or anyone else aside from the voting citizens
• Referendums in the Philippines

  Allowed through R.A. no. 6735 or People's Initiative and Referendum Act of 1989, where people "under a system of initiative and referendum can directly propose, enact, approve or reject, in whole or in part, the Constitution, laws, ordinances, resolutions passed by any legislative body upon compliance with the requirements of the Act", including referendums on statutes and local laws
• According to Section 5 of R.A. no. 6735, at least 10% of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district is represented by at least 3% of the registered voters thereof, shall sign a petition for the purpose and register the petition with the Commission on Elections
• Representative democracy


  Requires the election of a few members who are responsible for making the necessary decisions for the people, chosen by the electorate as their representatives in government and thus answerable to the people for making such decisions, the most common model of democracy followed by governments, providing regular constitutional opportunities for changing government leaders and a social mechanism that allows the majority of the people to influence important decisions by selecting government leaders from a number of candidates
• Elements of representative democracy

  • Popular support of government
  • Political competition
  • Alternation of power
  • Popular representation
  • Majority rule
  • Recognition of rights to dissent and disobedience
  • Political equality
  • Popular consultation
  • Free press
• Civil society


  Intermediate organizations in between the primary units of society that includes individuals, families, clans, ethnic groups, and the governmental agencies and institutions, an important condition for democracy but its presence is not enough to say that democracy really exists, as the civil society must have the freedom to express their sentiments as individuals or collectively in matters pertaining both political and nonpolitical issues and topics