The Flow of Information in Evolving Social Groups

In the field of Social Network Analysis various concepts for the identification of subgroups in relational empirical networks as well as different theoretical aspects linked to different kinds of subgroups have received a lot of attention over the last years. In this context the problem of the consequences that arise from the choice for a certain grouping procedure for the object under investigation (e.g. the process of the spread of information) are rarely addressed. Hence, this is not very surprising since process data, that would allow a respective examination, are rather scarce. The data presented in this paper give this seldom opportunity and permit (at least rudimentary) the confrontation of a chosen grouping and the real course of the process. Such an examination is as well important for the decision on an adequate grouping procedure as it is for the identification of criteria which might be used for the description of the information flow within and between groups. Under some circumstances, a large part of the course of the information process may already be explained by a certain grouping.