Kinship as Basis for Social Action

Just a quick post as I'm prepping for class this morning. In thinking about the group project on social media, one of the primary functions of social media (besides selling you things) is the establishment of social links between individuals.  These links can create either networks or groups.  Networks are defined by links between individuals and form a diffuse web of interaction emanating out from countless "centers." Groups, on the other hand, are more bounded social units that often have more of a collective or common purpose.

The formation of networks and groups is also one of the primary functions of human kinship.  It gives form and shape to human sociality. It provides avenues for the dissemination, negotiation and modification of symbols.

Of course, kinship is still important to us, but so are other forms of social interaction.  So, despite the fact that some of the societies often used as case studies in anthropological examinations of kinship seem very different than our own, there's a basic similarity between what they're doing and what you do.

I also just came across what seems to be a massive website, Kinship Studies, dedicated to assembling resources for the anthropological study of kinship.