How to define social network in the context of mobilities

This chapter addresses the question of how the concept of social network can be used to address the dynamics of contemporary mobilities. It starts with a summary of ego-centric approaches for social network analysis as it has been applied in mobility and transport research so far. By exploring the ways in which the social meanings of travel are embedded in people’s practice of maintaining and forming social networks the authors show how social networking and mobilities are closely connected. The means and ‘technologies’ in which contemporary social life is organized deeply influences the shape and the emergence of social networks. Furthermore, the structures of everyday life are based on multiple networks: personal, social, technological and travel networks. Based on this assumption the article presents social networks in the context of the theory of mobilities and by discussing a range of other approaches that underpin the analysis of social networks. These concepts contribute to explaining the patterns observed in social networked structures and addressing the key ideas and foci of mobilities research. The authors illustrate this through contemporary examples such as automobility, automated mobilities and the recent developments in smart transport. In overall terms, it is argued here that transport research needs to pay more attention to social networks and from a range of (interdisciplinary) perspectives. Analyses of contemporary travel behaviour need to go beyond mere ego-centric approaches and focus on the explanatory power of social networks to understand the dynamics of mobilities.