  Socio-diversity, the variety of human opinions, ideas, behaviors and styles,
has profound implications for social systems. While it fuels innovation,
productivity, and collective intelligence, it can also complicate communication
and erode trust. So what mechanisms can influence it? This paper studies how
fundamental characteristics of social networks can support or hinder
socio-diversity. It employs models of cultural evolution, mathematical
analysis, and numerical simulations. We find that pronounced inequalities in
the distribution of connections obstruct socio-diversity. In contrast, the
prevalence of close-knit communities, a scarcity of long-range connections, and
a significant tie density tend to promote it. These results open new
perspectives for understanding how to change social networks to sustain more
socio-diversity and, thereby, societal innovation, collective intelligence, and
productivity.
