Welcome!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to ASNAC 2024 - our first ever conference in Meeanjin (Brisbane)!
We acknowledge the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, the traditional custodians of the land on which we gather, and pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.
Since its inception in Melbourne in 2016, ASNAC has provided a platform for the Australian social network community to share and discuss research across diverse fields, unified by the method of social network analysis. This year, we are thrilled to host the conference in Brisbane for the first time!
Join us for two exciting days filled with presentations, and networking opportunities. Our participants include academics and students, all interested in various aspects of theory, methodology, and applications in areas such as environment, health, conflict, social media, and governance.
We are pleased this year to welcome keynotes from experts within our Australian community, including this year’s Pip Patterson Award recipient and last year’s inaugural Garry Robins award recipient. These awards are exciting recognition for excellence in Australian SNA research. Before the conference, we will hold five pre-conference workshops. They are excellent tasters for anyone interested in SNA.
We are thrilled to present this program and eagerly anticipate the insights and perspectives that will emerge throughout the conference. We look forward to learning from our colleagues and believe that the exchanges during the conference will strengthen and expand the Australian SNA research networks.
See you in sunny Brisbane!
Dr Angela Guerrero
ASNAC 2024 Chair
School of Architecture and Built Environment
About
ANSNA
The Australian Network for Social Network Analysis (ANSNA) aims to build greater coordination and collaboration among social network researchers and practitioners in Australia and overseas. It also seeks to raise the profile of Australian social network research nationally and internationally. It is the national focal point for SNA in Australia, providing information about resources, connections, training in SNA, conferences, and more. ANSNA is endorsed by the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA).
Organising Committee
Angela Guerrero (Chair, Queensland University of Technology)
Bridget McGlynn (Queensland University of Technology)
Rebecca Langdon (Queensland University of Technology)
Dan Chamberlain (La Trobe University)
Peng Wang (Swinburne University of Technology)
Awards Committee
Peng Wang (Swinburne University of Technology)
Pip Pattison (University of Sydney)
Gary Robins (University of Melbourne)
Acknowledgements
The Organising Committee thanks the QUT Resilience Centre for and the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the Faculty of Engineering for supporting this conference.
We also wish to thank our colleagues in the committee for the Australian Network for Social Network Analysis (ANSNA).
Useful Information
Venue
The conference sessions will take place in the Owen J Wordworth Room, located on level 12 in S Block at the QUT Garden Points campus. Please see map on page 7.
Workshop locations will be provided to registrants individually.
Getting Here
You can access the venue via the city entrance or via the Goodwill Bridge connecting the city with Southbank. South Bank and the CBD are both walking distance from QUT.
The campus has its own CityCat (ferry) stop and is a short walk from Central and South Bank train stations. South Bank is slightly closer, and you access the campus via the Goodwill Bridge by foot.
The campus is also walking distance from King George Square and Queen Street bus stations in the CBD.
Public transit is currently 50¢ fares in Queensland!
Accommodation Options:
South Bank
Courtyard by Marriott Brisbane South bank
CBD
Ibis Styles Brisbane Elizabeth Street
Hostels:
Food & Drink:
This is a catered event. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are included in the registration fee.
If you registered for the conference dinner, this will take place on Thursday evening at 7 pm at Ole Restaurant in South Bank. https://olerestaurant.com.au/
For other food and drink needs there are many great options around Brisbane! Here are a few suggestions:
Coffee
John Mills himself
Anytime Coffee
Mi Casa Cafè
Denim Co.
Drinks
The Ship Inn (close to campus)
Felons Brewing Co.
Sea Legs Brewing Co.
Plenty of breweries at West End!
Quick eats
Wrapture
Scugnizzi
AJ Vietnamese Noodle House
Activities
We have organised a walking tour of areas close to our beautiful QUT campus, including the Botanic Gardens. It will take place at 7 am on Friday the 15th November. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rebecca Langdon (r2.langdon@qut.edu.au).
For other activities here are a few suggestions!
In Meeanjin
· The Brisbane Riverwalk - there are paths that River Paths – plenty of walking
· Both the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art are free and located in South Brisbane (close to South Bank).
· City Cat tour – ride the ferry from QUT all the way to UQ & back! You can stop at New Farm and visit the Powerhouse – a lovely place to have a drink.
· West End Market is on Saturday morning for those staying in town.
Gold Coast
· Access the Gold Coast with 50 ¢ fares!
Take the Gold Coast line to Helensvale and transfer to the G-link tram. Plan your journey here: https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/journey-planner
Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island)
Also accessible via transit!
Take the Cleveland line train to Cleveland. From the station, walk or catch the free shuttle to the ferry terminal. Two companies run ferries:
· Stradbroke flyer timetable - $21 Return Trip adult / $15 Return Trip Tertiary
· Sealink timetable - $20 Return Trip adult / $15.5 Return Trip Tertiary (online)
Once on the island there is a bus that for a $1 all day ticket you can ride to Point Lookout.
QUT Campus Map
Wednesday 13 November
Workshops
9.00am–12.00pm Introduction to Exponential-Family Random Graph Models (ERGMs) using Statnet
Presenter: Dr Pavel Krivitsky Location: P Block Room 638, Gardens Point Campus
This workshop provides a hands-on tutorial to using exponential-family random graph models (ERGMs) for statistical analysis of social networks, using the ergm™ package in statnet. The ergm package provides tools for the specification, estimation, assessment and simulation of ERGMs that incorporate the complex dependencies within networks. Topics covered in this workshop include:
• an overview of the ERGM framework;
• types of terms used in ERGMs
• defining and fitting models to empirical data;
• interpreting model coefficients;
• goodness-of-fit and model adequacy checking;
• simulation of networks using fitted ERG models;
• degeneracy assessment and avoidance.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with R.
9.00am–12.00pm Exponential Random Graph Modelling with MPNet
Presenter: Dr Peng Wang Location: S Block Room 637, Gardens Point Campus
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of estimating Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) and Auto-Logistic Actor Attribute Models (ALAAM) with MPNet software, developed to investigate the structural features of networks and how such structure may affect individual outcomes.
The workshop will start with a brief introduction to the overall logic of estimating (single-level) ERGMs/ALAAMs before introducing the recently developed multilevel ERGMs/ALAAMs. The latter class of models enables researchers to investigate the influence of structure at one level of analysis on structure at a different level, while taking into account the complex interdependencies that exist within and between levels. For instance, interpersonal networks between managers at the micro-level might interact with alliance networks of the organizations they are nested in.
Throughout the workshop, participants will work through short exercises to get familiar with the graphical user interface and output of the MPNet software. We will discuss various case-study examples that will provide the participants with a good understanding of the possibilities that multilevel ERGMs offer for social scientists
9.00am–12.00pm Collecting and Analysing Online Networks with VOSON R tools
Presenter: Prof Robert Ackland Location: S Block Room 636, Gardens Point Campus
This workshop will introduce participants to open source R packages for online network collection and analysis, developed by the Virtual Observatory for the Study of Online Networks (VOSON) Lab (http://vosonlab.net) at the Australian National University. The workshop will include an introduction to (depending on workshop participant interest and available API access):
· vosonSML - (https://github.com/vosonlab/vosonSML) an R package providing a suite of tools for collecting and constructing networks from social media data. It provides easy-to-use functions for collecting data across popular platforms (Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, WWW hyperlinks, Mastodon) and generating different types of networks for analysis.
· VOSON Dashboard (https://github.com/vosonlab/VOSONDash) - an R/Shiny application providing a graphical user interface for collecting and analysing online networks and associated text data. It builds on a number of R packages, in particular igraph (for network analysis) and vosonSML.
Participants will be shown how to install these packages and their basic operation. Workshop materials will include R scripts, package documentation, notes on analysis of online networks, and examples of research.
2.00pm–5.00pm Advanced Exponential-Family Random Graph Modelling with Statnet
Presenter: Dr Pavel Krivitsky Location: P Block Room 638, Gardens Point Campus
This workshop will provide a tutorial of advanced usage of ergm™ and extension packages. Specific topics depend on audience interest, but may include specifying complex structural constraints, estimation tuning, representing complex effects with term operators, and observational (e.g., missing data) structure. Also included is using the new ergm.multi™ package for modelling multi-layer and multi-mode networks, as well as joint models for ensembles of networks; and an overview of `tergm` as it applies to modelling series of networks.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with R and ergm™ required. If you are new to ERGMs, the introductory workshop on ERGMs using Statnet is strongly suggested.
2.00pm–5.00pm Cross-platform social network data capture
Presenter: Robert Fleet Location: S Block Room 637, Gardens Point Campus
This workshop offers attendees an opportunity to explore cross-platform social media data acquisition anchored by common topics. Public debates and discussions on important topics are increasingly taking place concurrently across a variety of social media platforms. This phenomenon is driven by the unique features of each platform and the intention of posters and commentators to reach different audiences by leveraging these features.
Facilitated by the Digital Observatory at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the workshop will introduce newly developed research platforms including NewsTalk, AusReddit and Youte+. Together these platforms support data capture and data exploration for news website comments, Reddit and YouTube, respectively.
By the end of the workshop, attendees will understand how to collect and aggregate multi-platform social media data. We will demonstrate how to collect YouTube comments using Youte+, how to gather comments on Australian news articles using Newstalk, and how to collect submissions and comments from Australian subreddits using AusReddit. For NewsTalk and AusReddit, we will provide Python notebooks which use the platform APIs of these research tools, enabling participants to integrate these data platforms in their own research.
2.00pm–5.00pm Social-technical Complex Network and its LLM Applications
Presenter: Dr Jiang Wu Location: S Block Room 636, Gardens Point Campus
This workshop delves into the intricate dynamics of Social-technical Complex Network that is inspired by the social-ecological network (Bodin, 2017), its simulation methodologies, and the innovative applications of large language models (LLMs) in understanding and predicting social-technical behaviors. The session is structured around three pivotal themes, each presented by experts in their respective fields.
In the first part, it provides a comprehensive framework for social-technical complex network, as outlined in a text book “Social Network Computing”. This foundational knowledge sets the stage for understanding the basic concepts of social-technical networks, from their visualization to the nuanced dynamics of triadic closures and the balance between strong and weak ties in the social-technical system. The exploration of homogeneity, balance, and the small-world phenomenon within these networks lays the groundwork for more advanced topics such as power laws, community structures, and diffusion processes for the social-technical coordination.
The second part shifts the focus to the simulation of complex networks, dissecting the interplay between networks and game theory related to social-technical coordination. This segment will explore the evolutionary game model that abstracts the intense competition between 'involution', cooperation, and 'lying flat' — a cultural phenomenon reflecting a conscious withdrawal from competitive pressures. The discussion will highlight the impact of social resources, involution costs, and the variance in agents' competition abilities on social-technical dynamics, revealing the complex interplay between rank-based and value-based payoff allocation methods.
The third part transitions to the application of LLMs in simulating social -technical network behaviors. This cutting-edge approach contrasts traditional models by employing LLMs to simulate social-technical strategic interactions among agents, offering a deeper understanding of the relationship between social behaviors and technical factors. The workshop will examine how diversity in agent attributes and multi-level social circles influence involution, providing macro-level insights and regulatory strategies to mitigate social-technical competition issues.
Thursday 14 November
Owen J Wordworth Room (S Block, 12th Floor)
Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus
8.30 am Registration Opens
9.00 am Welcome from the Organising Committee and Housekeeping
9.05 am Welcome to Country
9.15 am Keynote: A/Prof Peng Wang (Garry Robins Award recipient 2023)
10:00 am MORNING TEA
10:30 am Session 1: Theory and Methods (6 presentations)
12:00 pm Keynote: A/Prof Malcolm Alexander
12:45 pm LUNCH
1:45 pm Session 2: Environment (7 presentations)
3:30 pm AFTERNOON TEA
4:00 pm Session 3: Communities and Cultures & Online Networks (6 presentations)
5:30 pm SOCIAL DRINKS
7:00 pm CONFERENCE DINNER @ OLE Restaurant (South Bank)
Friday 15 November
Gardens Club & Owen J Wordworth Room (S Block, 12th Floor)
Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus
7:00 am WALKING TOUR (registration needed)
8:15 am POSTER SESSION @ TBC (pastries)
9:00 am Make your way to Owen J Wordworth Room (S Block, 12 Floor)
9:15 am Session 4: Networks and Conflict (5 presentations)
10:30 am MORNING TEA
11:00 am Session 5: Collaboration and Governance (6 presentations)
12:30 pm LUNCH
1:30 pm Presentation of Pip Pattison and Garry Robins Awards
1:45 pm Keynote: Prof. Rob Ackland (Pip Pattinson Award Recipient 2024)
2:45 pm Session 6: Egonets (4 presentations)
3:45 pm AFTERNOON TEA
4:15 pm Session 7: Business and Innovation (4 presentations)
5:15 pm CLOSING REMARKS & HANDOVER TO ASNAC 2025
