How do new scientific ideas diffuse? Computational studies reveal how network structures facilitate or obstruct diffusion; qualitative studies demonstrate that diffusion entails the continuous translation and transformation of ideas. This article bridges these computational and qualitative approaches to study diffusion as a complex process of continuous adaptation. As a case study, we analyze the spread of Granovetter's Strength of Weak Ties hypothesis, published in American Journal of Sociology in 1973. Through network analysis, topic modeling and a close reading of a diffusion network created using Web of Science data, we study how different communities in this network interpret and develop Granovetter's hypothesis in distinct ways. We further trace how these communities originate, merge and split, and examine how central scholars emerge as community leaders or brokers in the diffusion process.

新的科学思想如何传播？计算研究揭示了网络结构如何促进或阻碍扩散。定性研究表明，传播需要思想的不断转化和转化。本文桥接了这些计算和定性方法，以研究扩散作为连续适应的复杂过程。作为案例研究，我们分析了Granovetter的弱联系假设假说的传播，该假说发表在《美国社会学杂志》上1973年。通过网络分析，主题建模和对使用Web of Science数据创建的扩散网络的仔细阅读，我们研究了该网络中的不同社区如何以不同的方式解释和发展Granovetter的假设。我们进一步追踪这些社区是如何产生，合并和分裂的，并研究中央学者如何在传播过程中以社区领导者或经纪人的身份出现。