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Date

2022-09-15

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Creative Commons
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution 4.0 International

Social Network Analysis and Geographic Information Systems can be combined and applied to communication research to better understand how communication networks are associated with spatial or city characteristics. We use a case study of communication networks of immigrant church members (N = 178) in New Jersey to test theories of spatial versus strategic assimilation, visualize social networks, and city racial composition. The findings demonstrate that church members seeking information from coethnic immigrant networks were more likely to live in cities with a concentration of white residents, whereas members who provided more informational support to other members were less likely to live in whiter areas. Thus, coethnic residential choice may not always be linked to immigrant network use and the case applies more to the pattern of strategic assimilation. Future communication research involving questions related to physical locations and space can benefit from combining Social Network Analysis and Geographic Information System techniques in innovative ways.

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Keywords

social network analysis, geographic information system, spatial assimilation, strategic assimilation, communication network centrality

Citation

C. Aujean Lee & Sun Kyong Lee (2022) Combining social network analysis and geographic information system for communication research: an application to immigrant communities, Cogent Social Sciences, 8:1, 2123085, DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2022.2123085

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Sponsorship

Financial support was provided by the University of Oklahoma Libraries’ Open Access Fund.