Encyclopedia of Social Networks

Barnett (communication, Univ. of California) focuses on types of social organizational structures and their different ways of functioning in a broad survey of networks past and present. The approximately 350 alphabetically arranged entries by a large slate of academic contributors explore in moderately dense detail widespread networks such as Facebook and the UN; special interest communities such as those created by mothers, gamers, dieters, deviants, and gangs; networking technology; privacy and other cogent issues; traditional networks based on kinship, religion, politics, and economics; and the theory, concepts, and general practice of network analysis. Each article ends with multiple cross-references and generous if scholarly reading lists, supplemented by a select multimedia guide to further sources. Despite some articles that fill in deeper historical background, the emphasis here is on recent examples, particularly those dependent on "the mother of all networks," the Internet, and other "infrastructure of the Information Age." The scattered diagrams and black-and-white photos qualify as little more than afterthoughts, and the decision to profile all 50 states and more than 125 countries in separate articles adds little to the discourse. The index in the second volume is adequate though not comprehensive. BOTTOM LINE From "AARP" to "zines," the set covers a vast array of fields and topics and is current enough to include references to roles played by social media in the 2011 uprisings in Northern Africa. The online version of this title features color illustrations, dozens of media clips, and at least a capacity for regular updates. A significant update to the material in the print version of Subhasish Dasgupta's Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies (Idea Group, 2006) for college-level study.—John Peters, Bronx, NY