{"doi":"10.1016/j.socnet.2022.02.004","title":"Generators or diffusers? Examining differences in the dynamic coupling of context and social ties across multiple types of foci","abstract":"Feld’s focus theory is one of the most influential approaches in social network analysis. However, with very few exceptions, empirical assessments of the theory have only focused on a narrow range of its predictions premised on comparative statics. This paper restates classical focus theory in terms of dependence between multiple network layers as they co-evolve, yielding dynamic focus theory. Social foci serve as an ecology within which person-to-person relations form and as a mechanism via which tastes and behaviors diffuse within a population through interpersonal ties. We argue this is a type of “focus effect” distinct from the standard tie-generation process typically considered. In addition, we go beyond previous single-foci studies in considering multiple foci types, allowing us to ascertain which foci—e.g., clubs, activities, musical genres, or academic course areas—act more like tie generators or which ones as taste diffusers. Using rich data from the NetSense and NetHealth studies, we use recently developed Stochastic Actor-Oriented Models (SAOMs) for two-mode networks to estimate simultaneous foci effects across different foci types. We find that musical genres function primarily as taste-diffusers, club types exclusively as tie generators, and course areas and activities as both tie generators and taste diffusers. We conclude by discussing key implications of dynamic focus theory, including how foci properties can account for variability in foci effects and the role different types of social foci play in social influence and the diffusion of tastes and behaviors.","journal":"Social Networks","year":2022,"id":277535,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":7,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.951,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2022-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":431901,"name":"Cheng Wang","orcid":"0000-0002-4693-6424","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":949155,"name":"Brandon Sepulvado","orcid":"0000-0002-1989-2972","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":431902,"name":"Omar Ližardo","orcid":"0000-0002-5405-3007","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":431903,"name":"David Hachen","orcid":"0000-0001-7028-8183","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":76,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T00:28:39.226969Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}