New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Anthony Bonato, "Dots and Lines: Hidden Networks in Social Media, AI, and Nature" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2025)
Sep 3, 2025
In a fascinating discussion, Anthony Bonato, a mathematics professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and author of 'Dots and Lines,' unpacks the hidden networks that influence every aspect of our lives. He explores how network theory reveals patterns in social media, AI, and even nature, shedding light on political strategies and survival tactics in reality shows. Bonato highlights the evolution of tools like Google’s PageRank and the significance of small world networks, illustrating their profound impact on connections in our society.
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Networks As Universal Interaction Maps
- Networks model interactions using nodes (dots) and edges (lines) across many domains.
- Anthony Bonato argues networks reveal transmission patterns like COVID spread that experts often overlook.
Communities Explain Real Social Splits
- Community structure explains real social splits like the Zachary Karate Club feud.
- Detecting such communities helps reveal how groups fragment around leaders or topics.
Louvain Reveals Hidden Groupings Fast
- The Louvain algorithm quickly detects communities by optimizing modularity.
- It iteratively moves nodes to increase clustering, revealing hidden groupings in networks.
