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6 degrees of separation theory
6 degrees of separation theory













The manuscript left many significant questions about networks unresolved, and one of these was the number of degrees of separation in actual social networks. It formally articulated the mechanics of social networks, and explored the mathematical consequences of these (including the degree of connectedness). Their unpublished manuscript circulated among academics for over 20 years before publication in 1978. Kochen and de Sola Pool's manuscript, Contacts and Influences, was conceived while both were working at the University of Paris in the early 1950s, during a time when Milgram visited and collaborated in their research.

6 degrees of separation theory

Milgram continued Gurevich's experiments in acquaintanceship networks at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. population, foreshadowing the findings of American psychologist Stanley Milgram. The simulations, carried out on the relatively limited computers of 1973, were nonetheless able to predict that a more realistic three degrees of separation existed across the U.S. And perhaps for the whole world's population, probably only one more bridging individual should be needed." They subsequently constructed Monte Carlo simulations based on Gurevich's data, which recognized that both weak and strong acquaintance links are needed to model social structure. In a structured population it is less likely but still seems probable. Mathematician Manfred Kochen, an Austrian who had been involved in urban design, extrapolated these empirical results in a mathematical manuscript, Contacts and Influences, concluding that in a U.S.-sized population without social structure, "it is practically certain that any two individuals can contact one another by means of at most two intermediaries. Michael Gurevich conducted seminal work in his empirical study of the structure of social networks in his 1961 Massachusetts Institute of Technology PhD dissertation under Ithiel de Sola Pool. The theory of three degrees of influence was created by Nicholas A. A related theory deals with the quality of connections, rather than their existence. Karinthy has been regarded as the originator of the notion of six degrees of separation. This idea both directly and indirectly influenced a great deal of early thought on social networks. He bet us that, using no more than five individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance, he could contact the selected individual using nothing except the network of personal acquaintances. We should select any person from the 1.5 billion inhabitants of the Earth – anyone, anywhere at all. One of us suggested performing the following experiment to prove that the population of the Earth is closer together now than they have ever been before. He writes:Ī fascinating game grew out of this discussion. In his story, the characters create a game out of this notion. He posited that despite great physical distances between the globe's individuals, the growing density of human networks made the actual social distance far smaller.Īs a result of this hypothesis, Karinthy's characters believed that any two individuals could be connected through at most five acquaintances. In particular, Karinthy believed that the modern world was 'shrinking' due to this ever-increasing connectedness of human beings. Due to technological advances in communications and travel, friendship networks could grow larger and span greater distances. One of these pieces was titled "Chains," or "Chain-Links." The story investigated in abstract, conceptual, and fictional terms many of the problems that would captivate future generations of mathematicians, sociologists, and physicists within the field of network theory. These conjectures were expanded in 1929 by Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy, who published a volume of short stories titled Everything is Different. Theories on optimal design of cities, city traffic flows, neighborhoods and demographics were in vogue after World War I.

6 degrees of separation theory

  • 3.1.1 John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation.
  • 2.3 An optimal algorithm to calculate degrees of separation in social networks.
  • 1.3 Continued research: Small World Project.














  • 6 degrees of separation theory