Researchers Discover Short Dating Chains on the World Wide Web
A group of researchers from the University of Bar-Ylan has made a fascinating discovery about the World Wide Web: random people can be connected by very short dating chains, typically six. This pattern is attributed to the trade-off between costs and benefits in establishing new social ties.
The experiment that led to this finding was initially conducted in 1967 by Professor Stanley Milgrom from Harvard University. Milgrom sent approximately 300 letters in an attempt to establish a social connection between a resident of Omakhi and a scientist on the East Coast. While many of the letters did not reach their intended recipients, the experiment revealed that in a society of hundreds of millions of people, it only takes six handshakes to connect two random individuals.
Subsequent studies have reaffirmed this discovery across various social networks, including Facebook, Email, and the Microsoft Messenger network. In each case, the number six consistently emerged as the average number of connections required.
In a recently published article in Physical Review X, the researchers delve into the roots of this phenomena, highlighting how simple human behavior can explain it. Professor Barukh Barzel, one of the lead authors of the study, explains, “When we conducted mathematical calculations, we found an astonishing result: this process consistently leads to a concentration of social paths around the number six, which is truly surprising. Each individual acts independently within the network, with no knowledge or intentions regarding the network as a whole. However, their independent actions collectively shape the structure of the entire network, resulting in the Small World phenomenon and the recurring pattern of six steps.”
The significance of these short connections in social networks extends beyond mere curiosity. They greatly influence the behavior of the network, enabling the rapid spread of information, ideas, and fashion trends throughout society. Only a few steps are needed to connect seemingly unrelated individuals.
“On the positive side, this cooperation exemplifies the power of six steps working in our favor. How else would a team from six countries worldwide come together? Truly, this is the six steps in action!” concluded Professor Barzel, emphasizing the collaborative potential of this phenomenon.