Inside the World of Networks with Dr. Beppe Soda

So I would like to begin the podcast by asking you, how did you become interested in this profession and why social networks research?

Okay, thank you so much.

First of all, thank you for having me.

This is quite terrific and an honor to be with you.

So that's an interesting question.

Sometimes, especially you have to say many years after the beginning of a career, and I don't want to tell you exactly when I started my career.

I don't want to reveal my old age, let's say it this way.

But sometimes we lose a little bit our sense of origin.

So in my case, I have to say there was certainly the imprinting of my father.

He was a teacher.

deeply passionate about culture and knowledge, and he truly believed in the power of education.

He was the greatest storyteller I've ever known and met in my life.

And I remember, to keep us calm, we were a big family, three brothers, one sister, and all very close in age.

Instead of leaving us in front of the television, he would tell us entirely from memory stories from the Dive-In Comedy of Dante Alighieri or The Odyssey or other incredible books.

So I think it gave me the lasting love for knowledge and discoveries.

And this is the first reason why I started this career.

The second element is that I've been always...

I have to say drawn with complexity because complexity forces us to look at things from different perspectives.

And social sciences and organization science in particular have precisely this quality.

So I have always found, let's say in this way, deeply stimulating this nature for my natural curiosity.

And third, I have to say I was fortunate enough When I was deciding to go for a PhD and I was doing my PhD and also, you know, when I was at the beginning of my career to meet the right people at the right time, people who inspired me.

So I think these are the three reasons why I started this.

And why networks? And I think this is.

This is a good example of fortunate encounters.

Exactly what I said is my last point, why I started this career.

So I would like to begin the podcast by asking you, how did you become interested in this profession and why social networks research?

Okay, thank you so much.

First of all, thank you for having me.

This is quite terrific and an honor to be with you.

So that's an interesting question.

Sometimes, especially you have to say many years after the beginning of a career, and I don't want to tell you exactly when I started my career.

I don't want to reveal my old age, let's say it this way.

But sometimes we lose a little bit our sense of origin.

So in my case, I have to say there was certainly the imprinting of my father.

He was a teacher.

deeply passionate about culture and knowledge, and he truly believed in the power of education.

He was the greatest storyteller I've ever known and met in my life.

And I remember, to keep us calm, we were a big family, three brothers, one sister, and all very close in age.

Instead of leaving us in front of the television, he would tell us entirely from memory stories from the Dive-In Comedy of Dante Alighieri or The Odyssey or other incredible books.

So I think it gave me the lasting love for knowledge and discoveries.

And this is the first reason why I started this career.

The second element is that I've been always...

I have to say drawn with complexity because complexity forces us to look at things from different perspectives.

And social sciences and organization science in particular have precisely this quality.

So I have always found, let's say in this way, deeply stimulating this nature for my natural curiosity.

And third, I have to say I was fortunate enough When I was deciding to go for a PhD and I was doing my PhD and also, you know, when I was at the beginning of my career to meet the right people at the right time, people who inspired me.

So I think these are the three reasons why I started this.

And why networks? And I think this is.

This is a good example of fortunate encounters.

Exactly what I said is my last point, why I started this career.