Directionality

Measured as “outdegree” (i.e., information going out) or “indegree,” (i.e., information coming in), actors with larger indegrees tend to be the most prestigious or important within a network. Directionality, unlike the other measures defined here, looks at where the information originated and in which direction it flows. In the line network, for example, whether a node is important depends on the direction in which information flows; if all information flows to the right, node E would have the largest indegree. In dyads, directionality can indicate whether both members share equal influence/ power in the interaction or there is an unequal power dynamic.