*3.5. Homophily*

Homophily refers to the perceived similarity in beliefs, values, experiences, and lifestyles of the communicator by the receiver [68]. Communicators with affinity tend to be influential and can greatly affect recommendations [69]. Perceived similarity creates positive intergroup emotions and reduces uncertainty [70]. In such a situation, a listener is likely to infer that the communicator's attitude, interests, beliefs, and emotions are similar to their own, resulting in the listener endorsing the opinion.

Social network members, being in similar network locations, generate similarity in different dimensions, such as through behaviors and perceptions [71]; additionally, this similarity leads to trust among members and it is often easier to interact and establish relationships among similar network members [72]. For example, Centola found that homophily significantly increased the overall adoption of new health behavior [73]. Ma found that the latent homophily effect has a significant impact on product choice decisions of consumers [74]. Therefore, we propose hypothesis H5.

**Hypothesis 5 (H5).** *In consumer advice networks, homophily positively affects the establishment of network relationships.*

#### *3.6. Structural Equivalence*

The concept of structural equivalence describes the similarity of two network nodes in terms of network structure, specifically the common network nodes to which the two nodes are connected to [75]. The structural equivalence reflects the network closure feature of the network structure, that is, the network nodes are closely connected to each other. Such a network structure not only facilitates the dissemination of information but also promotes the formation of trust and the establishment of relationships in the network [76]. Therefore, we propose hypothesis H6.

**Hypothesis 6 (H6).** *In consumer advice networks, structural equivalence positively affects the establishment of network relationships.*
