As we noted earlier, homophily is an extreme form of clustering, where groups within a network are more likely to be highly interconnected within the group, but remain largely disconnected from the outside world. This can be driven by many factors such as geography, religious or political preferences, or perhaps some very specific shared interests that are restricted to a small segment of the overall network. In this section, we'll employ Gephi to illustrate a few examples of homophily and highlight the impact it has within the scope of the entire network.

What is critical to remember about homophily is the way it can restrict the flow of information, innovation, and even infection within a network. Since many individuals within specific groups have little exposure beyond the group, there is an increased probability that they will not have access to all the latest information and that they might be more reluctant to adopt new technologies (at least until others in their...