A Survey on Tie Strength Estimation Methods in Online Social Networks

Abstract

Social networks constitute an important medium for social interaction where people communicate and formulate relationships in a way similar to what they do in real life. The analysis of the users’ relationships in social networks can lead to new insights into human social behavior. Tie strength constitutes a core aspect of social relationships, which represents the importance of a relationship and the closeness of individuals. Understanding the key features of tie strength in social networks can assist in formulating more efficient user-centric services. This survey paper examines the advances in the area of the analysis of tie strength in social networks. We study the dimensions of tie strength and review the key predictive features for each dimension. We, then, undertake a comparative study of methodologies to model tie strength and examine the key findings. Finally, we discuss open issues and challenges in specifying tie strength.