Small world phenomenon

The small world phenomenon (also known as the small world effect) is the hypothesis that everyone in the world can be reached through a short chain of social acquaintances. The concept gave rise to the famous phrase six degrees of separation after a 1967 small world experiment by psychologist Stanley Milgram which found that two random US citizens were connected by an average of six acquaintances. However, after more than thirty years its status as a description of heterogeneous social networks (such as the aforementioned "everyone in the world") still remains an open question. Remarkably little research has been done in this area since the publication of the original paper.

Related Topics:
Hypothesis - Six degrees of separation - 1967 - Stanley Milgram - US - Social network

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