homophily

American  

[huh-mof-uh-lee] / həˈmɒf ə li /

noun

1. the tendency to form strong social connections with people who share one’s defining characteristics, as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, personal beliefs, etc..

   political homophily on social media.

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Other Word Forms

• homophilious
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of homophily

First recorded in 1950–55; homo- ( def. ) + -phily ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

homophily

We’re all aware of the phenomenon in which longtime pals grow alike, but homophily suggests that a fair number of them are actually alike from the start.

From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2022

The recruiters, doubtless subconsciously, were influenced by homophily.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2021

Online groups confirm the power of homophily – the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with others of similar ilk.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 29, 2017

Despite recent prognostications of Facebook’s inevitable dominance in political advertising, the scholarship on homophily and social media reveals the rarity of actual political debate taking place on Twitter and Facebook.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2015

One prevailing theory in social psychology suggests that people choose their friends on the basis of homophily, which is the notion that people associate with others who are similar to them.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 16, 2011