The force-directed layout is a great visualization for many networks, and is a good go-to for your first visualization of a network. It works by repeatedly pushing all nodes apart and then pulling connected nodes back toward each other. It is benefits include the following:
- Accommodates large networks
- Clearly conveys community structure
However, the force-directed layout is also one of the most hairball-prone methods, particularly if there is one large community pulling all nodes together. It works best in sparser networks with multiple communities.
In Chapter 3, From Data to Networks, we saw that a default force-directed layout of the Frankenstein word co-occurrence network wasn't particularly informative. Now, we'll return to that example to demonstrate ways to focus on different aspects of a network and reduce clutter. The code to load...