Weak tie

Weak tie is a term suggested by Mark Granovetter in "The strength of weak ties" (The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, No. 6., May 1973) as the ties in a social network that are not strong. Strong ties are those such as kin relations and close personal friends, while weak ties are loose acquaintances such as those connections made at a party. The theory builds on work by Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone and is described as bridging social capital, the capital that ties groups together.