The Strength of Weak and Strong Communication Ties in a Community Information Program
Weenig, M. W. H. (1993). The strength of weak and strong communication ties in a community information program. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23, 20, 1712-1731.
Conducted a study in 2 lower-class Dutch neighborhoods to show that it is predominantly through weak ties (external sources) that information will be brought into a clique and that once inside a clique information will be diffused through strong ties (internal sources), with the impact on recipients being related to the quality of these ties. Pre- and posttest surveys in both neighborhoods and 3 process surveys in the experimental neighborhood yielded 134 respondents in the experimental and 55 respondents in the control neighborhood. Ss participated in a community-based communication program on ways to reduce energy consumption. The study's assumptions were validated, especially the crucial role of existing direct ties between internal sources and a target group in the process of information diffusion.
