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Subject to Evaluation: How Parents Assess and Mobilize Information from Social Networks in School Choice
Author(s) -
Fong Kelley
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
sociological forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1573-7861
pISSN - 0884-8971
DOI - 10.1111/socf.12483
Subject(s) - sociology , dimension (graph theory) , action (physics) , collective action , value (mathematics) , social network (sociolinguistics) , public relations , subject (documents) , inequality , information networks , social psychology , positive economics , economics , knowledge management , political science , psychology , computer science , law , social media , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , politics , library science , pure mathematics
A rich literature examines how information spreads through social networks to influence life opportunities. However, receiving information does not guarantee its use in decision making. This article analyzes information evaluation as a fundamental component of social network mobilization. The case of school choice, where the value of information may be more uncertain, brings this evaluative dimension to the forefront. Interviews with 55 parents in Boston show how parents selecting schools assess their social network ties as information sources, privileging information from those they perceive to have affinity and authority. These evaluative criteria map onto disparate networks to engender unequal mobilization of this information. The findings illuminate mechanisms sustaining inequality in social network mobilization and reorient scholars to consider processes underlying information use alongside information diffusion to attain a more complete understanding of how network resources are mobilized in action.