English: Network characteristics. Panel a represents a centralized network, panel b represents a network that is denser (and less centralized) than a, and panel c represents a network that is fragmented into two isolated subgroups. The building block in panel d captures network closure, i.e., when two actors, tied to a common third actor, tend to also form a direct tie between them. Panel e represents two actors with different attributes (e.g., organizational affiliation, beliefs, gender, education) who tend to form ties (this is referred to as heterophily). Panel f consists of two types of ties: friendship (solid line) and dislike (dashed line). In this case, two actors being friends both dislike a common third (or, similarly, two actors that dislike a common third tend to be friends).