The power of social network analysis stems from its difference from traditional
social scientific studies, which assume that it is the attributes of individual
actors—whether they are friendly or unfriendly, smart or dumb, etc.—that matter.
Social network analysis produces an alternate view, where the attributes of
individuals are less important than their relationships and ties with other
actors within the network. This approach has turned out to be useful for
explaining many real-world phenomena, but leaves less room for individual
agency, the ability for individuals to influence their success, because so much
of it rests within the structure of their network.