ABSTRACT
The distinguishing characteristic of social communication research is the presumption that citizens are influenced by the environments in which they reside. In contrast to political communication research originating from rationalistic or psychological perspectives, it takes as the fundamental subject of inquiry how environments vary and the consequences this holds for citizens, either as individuals or groups. A significant line of research within this subfield focuses specifically on communication networks, which encompass the information available to citizens from formal and informal social units, including interpersonal networks, geographic contexts, religious institutions, the workplace, and other social conglomerates.1
