An experimental study of search in global social networks
An experimental study of search in global social networks
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1081058
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发表时间：
2003-08-08
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Watts, DJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dodds, PS;Muhamad, R;Watts, DJ
我们报道了一项全球社交搜索实验，在该实验中，超过6万名电子邮件用户试图通过将信息转发给熟人来联系13个国家的18个目标人物。我们发现，成功的社交搜索主要是通过中等强度到弱强度的关系进行的，不需要高度连接的“枢纽”就能成功，而且与不成功的社交搜索相反，它过度依赖职业关系。通过考虑信息链的损耗，我们估计，社交搜索能够以中位数为5到7步的方式到达目标，这取决于信息源和目标的分离程度，尽管链长和参与率的微小差异会导致目标可达性的巨大差异。我们得出结论，尽管全球社交网络原则上是可搜索的，但实际的成功敏感地取决于个人的动机。
We report on a global social-search experiment in which more than 60,000 e-mail users attempted to reach one of 18 target persons in 13 countries by forwarding messages to acquaintances. We find that successful social search is conducted primarily through intermediate to weak strength ties, does not require highly connected "hubs" to succeed, and, in contrast to unsuccessful social search, disproportionately relies on professional relationships. By accounting for the attrition of message chains, we estimate that social searches can reach their targets in a median of five to seven steps, depending on the separation of source and target, although small variations in chain lengths and participation rates generate large differences in target reachability. We conclude that although global social networks are, in principle, searchable, actual success depends sensitively on individual incentives.