Social Capital and Invisible Relational Structures: Dynamics and Ambivalences of Networks
Abstract: This article proposes an interpretation of social networks through an analogy with mycelium, the underground network that sustains forest life. Starting from an everyday episode, it shows how much of social dynamics—from the circulation of opportunities to cooperation among individuals—develops within an invisible relational web composed of weak ties, trust, and informal exchanges. Drawing on contributions from network sociology and social capital theory, the text highlights how such structures enable community resilience and the functioning of democratic institutions. At the same time, it underscores the limits of the natural analogy: unlike mycelium, human networks are shaped by intentionality and interests, and can turn into closed systems of resource concentration. The invisible anatomy of relationships thus emerges as an ambivalent dimension, capable of generating both cooperation and exclusion.
Keywords: #SocialNetworks #SocialCapital #Ties #WeakTies #Mycelium #WoodWideWeb #SocialResilience #Cooperation #Exclusion #SocialEcology #Relationships #OrestePetrone #ethicasocietas #ethicasocietasjournal #scientificjournal #humanities #socialsciences #ethicasocietasupli
Oreste Patrone (1976), engineer and public employee, he has worked for many years in the field of environmental protection and waste management, where he has developed solid experience through both consultancy activities and institutional roles. He currently deals with integrated environmental permits, waste treatment plants, and single authorization procedures, and he is a member of the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional section of the National Register of Environmental Managers.
The Human Mycelium
Social networks resemble the vegetative structure of fungi: mycelium.
What we observe—people, careers, projects, institutions—represents only the visible and often ephemeral part of a much broader relational web that develops beneath the surface of everyday relationships. It is within this hidden network, composed of contacts, trust, and informal exchanges, that information circulates, opportunities arise, and collaborations take shape.
An everyday episode may help clarify this dynamic. A few days ago, the kitchen sink faucet in my home broke. Finding a plumber willing to come for such a simple and low-paying job is not easy; often, the call-out fee exceeds the cost of the repair itself. Fortunately, a friend of mine put me in touch with a relative who does small repair jobs. Through this mediation, a connection was created: within a few hours, the problem was solved thanks to a relationship that did not previously exist.
Unexpected Connections
After resolving the issue, while walking in the woods, the sight of a mushroom prompted a reflection. What emerges from the ground—the visible mushroom—is only a small part of a much more complex organism. The main body develops underground as a network of filaments (mycelium) that can extend for meters or even kilometers.
Mycelium performs essential functions: it absorbs and transports nutrients, establishes symbiotic relationships with plant roots, and, in some cases, connects different organisms, allowing the exchange of substances and chemical signals. This underground ecological network has been described, by analogy with global digital infrastructures, as the Wood Wide Web.
The similarity with human social networks is striking. In social life, we observe individuals, institutions, and projects, but beneath this surface lies a relational web made up of knowledge, trust, reputation, and informal interactions. It is through this structure that information circulates and opportunities are activated.
Ties That Open Possibilities
Sociology has analyzed these dynamics in depth. In particular, Mark Granovetter demonstrated how so-called weak ties—that is, more distant or occasional relationships—are often more effective than strong ties in opening up new opportunities. They connect different parts of the social network, facilitating the flow of information that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
Examples such as finding a job through an acquaintance, solving a household problem through an indirect contact, or developing ideas through casual interactions all represent concrete manifestations of this invisible relational structure.
From this perspective, individuals constitute the visible part of the system, while relationships form its underlying architecture.
The Advantages of Networks
The analogy with mycelium also helps to understand another aspect: social networks do not merely facilitate the circulation of resources; they also contribute to the resilience of communities.
Robert Putnam has shown that social capital—understood as a set of trust, reciprocity, and cooperation—has a significant impact on the functioning of democratic institutions and on the capacity of societies to respond to change and crisis.
Similarly to natural ecosystems, where mycelium connects different organisms and contributes to overall stability, in human societies relational networks support the adaptive capacity of groups.
Where connections are widespread and vibrant, communities tend to be more dynamic and resilient; where they weaken, individuals become more isolated and the entire system grows more fragile.
The Distance Between Nature and Society
However, the analogy between mycelium and social networks also reveals important limitations.
Mycelium does not act based on intentions or strategies: the distribution of resources follows evolutionary logics that enhance the survival of the entire system. Human social networks, by contrast, are shaped by interests, expectations, and intentional choices.
The same structure that enables cooperation can also be used to select, exclude, or concentrate resources. In this sense, a fundamental difference emerges between nature and society: while mycelium distributes, human networks may also retain and accumulate.
The Ambivalence of Networks
Social relationships, while enabling the circulation of opportunities, can easily become instruments of control. When networks become overly dense and self-referential, they tend to close in on themselves, restricting access to resources.
In such contexts, phenomena such as favoritism, co-optation, and exclusion emerge, where one’s position within the network becomes more important than merit. Many power dynamics—from economic elites to criminal organizations—are based precisely on the strategic management of relational networks.
In these cases, the network no longer functions as an open system, but as a closed circuit that concentrates resources and opportunities, strengthening some components at the expense of others.
Conclusions
The anatomy of social networks remains largely invisible. Like mycelium in the soil, it becomes apparent only through its effects: collaborations, projects, communities, but also inequalities and systems of exclusion.
This hidden dimension constitutes a fundamental component of social life. It can foster cohesion and cooperation, or generate division and the concentration of power.
Social networks, ultimately, are neither inherently inclusive nor necessarily exclusionary: their configuration depends on the practices, intentions, and choices of the actors who inhabit them.
It is within this ambivalence that their potential—and their risk—resides.
REFERENCES
- Granovetter, M. (1983). The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited. Sociological Theory, 1, 201–233.
- Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton University Press.
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