Emergence of clustering, correlations, and communities in a social network model

We propose a simple model of social network formation that parameterizes the tendency to establish acquaintances by the relative distance in a representative social space. By means of analytical calculations and numerical simulations, we show that the model reproduces the main characteristics of real social networks: non- vanishing clustering coefficient, assortative degree correlations, and the emergence of a hierarchy of communities. Our results highlight the importance of communities in the understanding of the structure of social networks.