Systems Thinking & Interdisciplinary Logic · Part 3B — Networks, Influence & Narrative Flows: How Connections Shape Behaviour

Part 3A showed you complexity and emergence in general. Part 3B zooms in on one of the most powerful lenses inside complexity: networks—who is connected to whom, how strongly, and how stories and behaviour travel through those connections.

You are not just your thoughts and choices. You are the pattern of conversations you sit inside. Networks quietly script what feels “normal”, “possible”, and “inevitable”.

1. Why Think in Networks?

Many of the systems that confuse us are really networks in disguise:

• Social media: accounts, follows, reposts, group chats.
• Organisations: teams, reporting lines, informal alliances.
• Economies: buyers, sellers, platforms, intermediaries.
• Your inner life: parts of self that talk, protect, criticise, and encourage.

Networks answer questions like:

• “Why did this idea spread there but not here?”
• “Why does conflict keep returning to the same few people?”
• “Whose opinion quietly sets the tone, even when they say nothing?”

Exercise — One Network You Care About

CHOOSE A NETWORK:
(e.g., your team, your family, a platform audience, a friend group)

NETWORK NAME:
____________________________________

WHY THIS NETWORK MATTERS TO YOU:
____________________________________
____________________________________
  

2. Core Network Concepts (Plain Language)

We’ll stay with intuitive definitions:

• Node: a point in the network (person, account, team, organisation, inner “voice”).
• Edge: a connection between nodes (follows, messages, trust, money, influence).
• Degree: how many direct connections a node has.
• Path: the route through which something can travel from one node to another.
• Cluster / community: a tight group where nodes are more connected to each other than to outsiders.

Worksheet — Sketch Your Network (Text Version)

KEY NODES (NO MORE THAN 10):
1) ____________________________
2) ____________________________
3) ____________________________
4) ____________________________
5) ____________________________
6) ____________________________
7) ____________________________
8) ____________________________
9) ____________________________
10) ___________________________

FOR EACH, NOTE:
- Who do they talk to most?
- Who do they quietly watch?

Example:
"Node 1 talks mostly to 2, 3, and 4; quietly watches 7."
  

3. Different Network Shapes, Different Stories

How nodes connect changes how influence and risk move.

• Star / Hub-and-Spoke: one central node with many connections.
  • Fast coordination, fragile if the hub fails.
• Chain: nodes connected in a line or narrow path.
  • Slow propagation, easy to block or disrupt.
• Dense cluster: many mutual connections.
  • High trust and fast local spread; can become an echo chamber.
• Bridge structure: a few nodes link otherwise separate clusters.
  • Bridges are powerful “border” positions—able to move ideas between worlds.

Exercise — What Shape Does Your Network Resemble?

USING YOUR CHOSEN NETWORK:

DOES IT LOOK MORE LIKE:
[ ] A star (one hub)
[ ] A chain (linear)
[ ] Several dense clusters
[ ] Something else (describe):

__________________________________

WHO FEELS LIKE A "HUB"?
__________________________________

WHO FEELS LIKE A "BRIDGE" BETWEEN GROUPS?
__________________________________

HOW MIGHT THIS SHAPE AFFECT:
- how conflict spreads?
- how support spreads?
__________________________________
  

4. Influence & Centrality — Who Actually Matters?

Influence is not just about loudness or rank. In networks, we ask:

• Degree centrality: who has many direct links?
• Betweenness centrality: who sits on key paths between others?
• Closeness centrality: who is just a few steps away from everyone?

Examples:

• The official manager might have formal authority, but the person everyone asks for honest advice has network authority.
• An account with fewer followers might be a bridge between otherwise disconnected groups—and therefore crucial to narrative spread.

Exercise — Hidden Influencers

IN YOUR NETWORK:

WHO HAS OBVIOUS INFLUENCE?
(title, follower count, decision power)
____________________________________

WHO HAS QUIET INFLUENCE?
(people check with them, they connect groups,
or conflict often passes through them)
____________________________________

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF EACH OF THESE PEOPLE
DISAPPEARED FOR 3 MONTHS?
What breaks? What slows? What improves?
____________________________________
  

5. Contagion: How Ideas, Emotions & Behaviours Spread

Networks aren’t just about “who knows who”. They are pipelines for:

• Information (news, updates, gossip).
• Emotion (panic, calm, outrage, excitement).
• Behaviour (habits, norms, language, style).

Key patterns:

• Simple contagion: one contact is enough (e.g., a funny meme).
• Complex contagion: you need reinforcement from multiple contacts (e.g., joining a risky protest, changing careers).

Exercise — Simple vs Complex Contagion

THINK OF A RECENT TREND OR HABIT:

WHAT WAS IT?
____________________________________

DID YOU ADOPT IT AFTER:
[ ] Seeing it once or twice (simple)
[ ] Seeing several trusted people do it (complex)

WHO WERE THE KEY PEOPLE THAT MADE IT FEEL "SAFE" OR "NORMAL"?
____________________________________

WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU ABOUT
HOW TO INTRODUCE POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR NETWORK?
____________________________________
  

6. Narrative Flows — Stories as the Software of Networks

Stories move through networks like code. They:

• Explain who is “us” and who is “them”.
• Define what “success” and “failure” mean.
• Set expectations about what happens to people who try new things.

Example narratives:

• “People like us don’t do that.”
• “Speaking up here is dangerous.”
• “This is a place where experiments are welcome.”

Exercise — The Story Your Network is Telling

IN YOUR CHOSEN NETWORK:

WHAT ARE 2–3 UNWRITTEN STORIES THAT SEEM TRUE HERE?
(e.g., "leaders are always right", "burnout is normal",
"people leave after 2 years", "we help each other")
1) __________________________________
2) __________________________________
3) __________________________________

WHERE DO THESE STORIES COME FROM?
(one person, a past event, a wider culture?)
____________________________________

DO THESE STORIES MAKE THE NETWORK
HEALTHIER OR MORE FRAGILE?
____________________________________
  

7. Structural Moves: Shaping Networks Ethically

Once you see networks, you can design small structural moves:

• Connecting two people or groups who need each other.
• Reducing over-dependence on one hub by distributing responsibility.
• Creating safe spaces where new narratives can be tested.
• Making bridges visible and supporting them (so they don’t burn out).

The ethical question: “Am I shaping this network in a way that increases collective resilience and dignity?”

Template — One Structural Network Experiment

NETWORK:
____________________________________

WHAT DO I WANT MORE OF?
(e.g., trust, honest feedback, creativity, stability)
____________________________________

ONE STRUCTURAL MOVE:
(e.g., monthly cross-team call, introducing X and Y,
rotating who speaks, protecting a quiet voice)
____________________________________

WHICH NODES AND EDGES DOES THIS AFFECT?
____________________________________

HOW WILL I KNOW IF THE NETWORK BEHAVIOUR CHANGES?
(qualitative signs + simple metrics)
____________________________________
  

8. Multi-Layer Networks — When Contexts Overlap

You don’t live in a single network. You are a node in many:

• Family.
• Work or school.
• Online platforms.
• Local community / neighbourhood.

These layers overlap: a conflict in one network can leak into another. A story in one network can shield or damage you in a different one.

Exercise — Three Layers of Your Network Life

LAYER 1 (e.g., work):
Main story about you:
____________________________________

LAYER 2 (e.g., family):
Main story about you:
____________________________________

LAYER 3 (e.g., online):
Main story about you:
____________________________________

WHERE ARE THESE STORIES ALIGNED?
____________________________________

WHERE DO THEY CLASH?
____________________________________

WHAT NETWORK LAYER COULD YOU ADJUST
TO MAKE YOUR LIFE MORE COHERENT?
____________________________________
  

9. Network Hygiene — Protecting Your Mental & Social Bandwidth

Not all connections are good connections. Network hygiene means:

• Being deliberate about who and what gets access to your attention.
• Recognising when you are in a harmful contagion (constant outrage, shame, cynicism).
• Creating “clean” zones in your life where noise can’t flood in.

Exercise — Attention Network Audit

LIST 5–10 SOURCES THAT REGULARLY REACH YOU:
(people, apps, channels, shows, newsletters)
1) _________________________________
2) _________________________________
3) _________________________________
4) _________________________________
5) _________________________________
6) _________________________________
7) _________________________________
8) _________________________________
9) _________________________________
10) ________________________________

FOR EACH, NOTE:
- Do I feel more clear or more confused after contact?
- Do I feel more capable or more helpless?

ONE SOURCE TO TURN DOWN OR PAUSE FOR 14 DAYS:
____________________________________

ONE SOURCE TO INTENTIONALLY TURN UP:
____________________________________
  

10. Future-Proof AI Prompt — “Network & Narrative Analyst”

Use this prompt with any capable AI model when you want to reason about networks and influence without losing your ethics.

You are my "Network & Narrative Analyst" for
"Systems Thinking & Interdisciplinary Logic — Part 3B
(Networks, Influence & Narrative Flows)".

GOAL
Help me:
- see the network structure of a situation,
- identify hubs, bridges, and clusters,
- understand how ideas/emotions/behaviours spread,
- design small, ethical structural moves.

ASK ME FIRST
1) Which network I want to explore
   (team, online audience, family, friend group, etc.).
2) The key people/nodes involved and how they connect.
3) What I’d like to see more of (e.g., trust, creativity,
   calm, honest feedback, opportunity).

PROCESS
1) Help me list nodes, edges, and rough clusters.
2) Ask who seems like:
   - a hub (many connections),
   - a bridge between groups,
   - a quiet but trusted node.
3) Explore how narratives currently flow:
   - What stories feel most alive?
   - Where do they start and how do they spread?
4) Identify risks:
   - over-dependent hubs,
   - isolated nodes,
   - harmful contagions (panic, shame, misinformation).
5) Suggest 2–3 structural experiments:
   - new connections to make,
   - small rituals or spaces to introduce,
   - ways to support bridges and reduce fragility.
6) Check each suggestion against my values:
   - Ask me if it feels respectful and fair,
   - adjust if it feels manipulative.

STYLE
- Use plain language.
- Treat people as humans, not objects.
- Emphasise consent, dignity, and long-term trust.

LIMITS & SAFETY
- Do not encourage manipulation, harassment,
  or deception.
- If I drift toward coercive tactics,
  remind me that reputation and trust are
  also networks—and once damaged, are hard to repair.
    

11. How Part 3B Prepares You for 3C and Beyond

After Part 3B, you can:

• Describe the network structure of situations instead of saying “people are just like this”.
• Spot hubs, bridges, and hidden influencers.
• Understand why some ideas or behaviours spread and others don’t.
• Design small structural moves that make groups healthier, not more brittle.

Part 3C will build on this by exploring governance in complexity—how rules, norms, and light-touch structures can guide networks without trying to control them completely.

Version: v1.0 · Track: Systems Thinking & Interdisciplinary Logic · Module: Part 3B (Networks, Influence & Narrative Flows) · Brand: Made2MasterAI™ · Educational only; not clinical, financial, or legal advice.

Apply It Now (5 minutes)

1. One action: What will you do in 5 minutes that reflects this essay? (write 1 sentence)
2. When & where: If it’s [time] at [place], I will [action].
3. Proof: Who will you show or tell? (name 1 person)

You are my Micro-Action Coach. Based on this essay’s theme, ask me:
1) My 5-minute action,
2) Exact time/place,
3) A friction check (what could stop me? give a tiny fix),
4) A 3-question nightly reflection.
Then generate a 3-day plan and a one-line identity cue I can repeat.

🧠 AI Processing Reality… Commit now, then come back tomorrow and log what changed.