Weak Ties

Demonstration of how weak ties connect more people than strong ties do.

Many of us believe that it is our best friends, parents, etc… that we depend on everyday; much of this is due to the fact that society focuses on these strong bonds, or ties, that we create with those who are close to us.  I would like to challenge this dependence on strong ties, however, and take the stance that Mark Granovetter portrays with his article “The Strength of Weak Ties.”  Weak ties bring together individuals more often than strong ties do; we depend on these weak ties to get us through our daily activities.  We do not depend on our best friend to get us to campus, instruct our classes, take our money at the grocery store, and so on…  We depend on our weak ties with the bus driver, professor, or cashier to allow us to carry out our daily activities.  Although we do enjoy the strong ties we have created with others, it is the weak ties that greatly influence our day-to-day activities.

Yes, our strong ties may determine our overall intimate/enduring relationships in this world; however, it is weak ties that we depend on to connect us to a larger number of people.  Although these ties are “weak,” they can still have a significant impact on people’s lives; not only can they allow or prohibit a person from performing a daily task, they an also influence how a person acts on a daily basis.  This phenomenon can be seen in Liberty Mutual’s commercial (video below) in which a person who does a good deed causes another person to also perform a good deed.  Although we may perceive these ties as insignificant or weak, their consequences and impact are actually quite great.