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Are We Really Separated by Six Degrees of Separation?
dailygalaxy.com — Microsoft has studied a total of 30 billion instant messages sent by over 250 million people in June of 2006, and determined that we are in fact, all linked by only 6.6 degrees of separation.
Bukowsky- 1153 diggs
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- mkpaa, on 08/07/2008, -5/+48Study based on Microsoft and instant messages? Conclusion: There are 6-7 spammers who deliver Viagra to 250 million people.
- gravityboard, on 08/07/2008, -4/+9Actually if you travel at all outside the US you'll find that most people are using Microsoft's messanger, not AIM or G Talk.
- mkpaa, on 08/07/2008, -2/+5You are talking to a finn. And we use irc, we created it. :)
- gravityboard, on 08/07/2008, -1/+3Fair enough, but do you think the "average joe" uses irc? They're probably using what came preinstalled on their windows machine.
- arjie, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1In India loads of people used Yahoo before Gmail came along, and when Orkut fused with Gmail, lots started using GTalk.
I dugg up OP though, ha ha. - Rikkochet, on 08/07/2008, -6/+1ICQ is still pretty huge in Europe and the Middle East.
I didn't think MSN was relevant at all outside North America. - urik88, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4In Argentina everyone uses MSN. Same with Israel. However, in Israel ICQ still has a lot of market. In Argentina ICQ was quite popular around 8 - 9 years ago, but it died when MSN arrived.
- jeffkee, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5Speaking of ICQ... Korea went through the same. Used to be ICQ but when MSN came out it died out.
For most people, I think remembering their ICQ number was a bitch. However, somehow, I still remember my 8 digit username for ICQ even after not using it for 7 years. - frontporsche, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1I find it hard to believe that "the amount of chats that they studied amount to approximately half of the instant message sent worldwide during that period."
I have an MSN account, and I know people with MSN accounts, but I don't know anyone who uses them. It's all yahoo, gtalk, and some icq. - monkeeofevil, on 08/07/2008, -2/+3What disturbs me is the number of people who are tell you their myspace url when you ask them for their email address and/or IM name. -_x
Also, most of my friends are nerds... so we use multiprotocol IM clients. I personally use ICQ, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, GTalk and IRC. I *have* the myspace IM plugin installed for pidgin, but thats only because I have a cousin who wont use anything else. Grrrr.
edit: Oops, forgot to mention Skype. Skype is awesome. - Altotus, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1This is truer than you think, but also the number is dropping pretty rapidly. Microsoft now claims about 25 million active users (people that have used their IM account in the past year). That puts it behind AIM, Jabber, and Ebuddy -- except that Messenger is disproportionately popular in certain european countries for some reason -- really disproportionate.
I deal with a lot of people in Europe and it is true. Messenger might be in the world-wide doldrums, but there are still places where any other IM might as well not exist.
I'm interested to see if MS keeps Messenger going. They appear to have pulled back on development, and they're no closer to opening up the protocol. It's public / free-loading user base is shrinking, and the Internet division still isn't turning a profit. Now they're trying to sell it to businesses for internal IM. The incentive to keep free Messenger alive is sort of drying up. - etruscan, on 08/07/2008, -0/+6Almost every Canadian person I know (and I know a few, since I live in Canada) uses MSN Messenger, now Windows Live Messenger. It's like the de-facto standard up here. You don't ask people what IM program they use, you ask what their Live info is.
- Lunarbunny, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1telnet irc.digg.com 6667
USER Lunarbunny 8 * :Lunarbunny
NICK Lunarbunny
PONG
PRIVMSG gravityboard :but telnet IS preinstalled on Windows machines ;)
QUIT :Do I need a reason?
exit - loulan, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1Yeah in France everybody uses MSN. A few years ago there were still people using AIM or ICQ, but now MSN is the de facto standard. When I lived in the UK, MSN seemed to be the standard where I worked, too.
- cutekelvins, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1dugg for spammers delivering viagra to 250 million people through internet :D
- Yooree, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Obviously the report was based only on IMs due to the fact that that's what easily available to Microsoft. This isn't an end-all report that confirms that everyone is linked by 6 degrees of separation. It's just to support the theory.
- gravityboard, on 08/07/2008, -4/+9Actually if you travel at all outside the US you'll find that most people are using Microsoft's messanger, not AIM or G Talk.
- MorphicMusic, on 08/07/2008, -7/+1I read in 'Enter Nexus" it's actually closer to 2 degrees!
- rogue780, on 08/07/2008, -2/+5?
- MorphicMusic, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1...
- Diffy, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2Thanks for sharing.
- MorphicMusic, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1Program?
- MorphicMusic, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1Program?
- rogue780, on 08/07/2008, -2/+5?
- wonderchemist, on 08/07/2008, -1/+55What happens if you take out Kevin Bacon?
- norman619, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1And substitute Kevin Spacey?
- TheTaoOfBill, on 08/07/2008, -0/+3You get a dangerous Hungarian kingpin who thinks he's from the planet K-pax and has an obsession with young girls?
- shutaro, on 08/07/2008, -0/+0@TheTaoOfBill: ..and is totaly *not* gay. You forgot that part.
- freezerburn666, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2now i want bacon... crispy greasy salty delicious bacon
- TheTaoOfBill, on 08/07/2008, -1/+2IT'S BACON!!!
- shutaro, on 08/07/2008, -2/+3OM NOM NOM!
- locke2002, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Hey man, what you and Kevin Bacon do when you sneak off to a motel together is your own business. Don't you think he'd be upset that you're telling everyone about your dirty little secret?
- jabberwolf, on 08/07/2008, -6/+0THE WOLD ENDS !!
- Neoanarchist, on 08/07/2008, -0/+3Oh ok well that's not so bad, so long as the WORLD doesn't end.
- gn0stik, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1The universe collapses back into a singularity.
Rapid, hyper-entropy.
- norman619, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1And substitute Kevin Spacey?
- BigManOnCampus, on 08/07/2008, -4/+16I'd prefer to be 10 arc seconds from Jessica Alba......, and then zero, and then 10 and then zero...
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -5/+22Am I the only one that finds it disturbing that microsoft is basing studies on my IMs?
- savethejets, on 08/07/2008, -1/+14Without consent nonetheless...
Oh who am I kidding, a disclaimer is probably buried somewhere 30 pages into their terms of use in tiny size 8 font- Altotus, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9Hehe, right next the part where you agree to never speak ill of Microsoft or the product...
- etruscan, on 08/07/2008, -1/+4Like just about every other disclaimer for every other company.
- Altotus, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9Hehe, right next the part where you agree to never speak ill of Microsoft or the product...
- BlueSkyfish, on 08/07/2008, -4/+2And censoring URLs that they don't like. MSN is like a police state of instant messaging. Too bad everybody outside of America uses it.
- longbomberz, on 08/07/2008, -1/+7It said in the article they weren't privy to the message content.
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -5/+0No, they only checked who I talk to, and how frequently.
That would be like saying it's okay to listen in on your messaged to a world known professional dominatrix, just as long as we don't read the content. - tehsaint, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2oh... well, in that case...
'cuz we can trust them to see the correlation between our IM and a complete stranger, but not look at the content... *roll*
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -5/+0No, they only checked who I talk to, and how frequently.
- savethejets, on 08/07/2008, -1/+14Without consent nonetheless...
- Pusod, on 08/07/2008, -17/+2I'M SORRY FOR TROLLING, BUT I NEED SOME ***** ANSWERS!!!
jorichter writes:
Dear Kevin Rose,
Why did you break Digg?
Please write back as soon as you can.
From,
Digg.
(If everyone Diggs this comment up he will fix it...)
primo writes:
WHATS UP WITH THE COMMENTS ON DIGG TODAY????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????? IT'S PRETTY SCREWY MOST SHOW ZERO DIGGS....AND YESI AM TYPING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I'M ***** YELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pusod writes:
explain why the top comment on the number one article has only like 7 diggs???? on a normal day it would be over 100+.
CAN YOU PLEASE FIX THE COMMENTS BEFORE THERE IS A RICK ROLL REBELLION!?!?!
im switching to re edit. good bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!- ghaib, on 08/07/2008, -1/+3Agree, commenting is a bit screwed up today
- BoneheadFarker, on 08/07/2008, -1/+6Dude...calm the ***** down. They broke it at about 2 AM, and now they are working to fix it. It's not the end of the world...
- Pusod, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1finally some answers! thanks for calming me down as i was going to delete my account and switch to reedit... you saved my life. thank you and god bless you.
- shutaro, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5No... It's the Diggocalypse!
- JohnnyRad, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4it blows my mind that the number next to your name in a comment makes or breaks the site for you. I say you're doing a digg a favor by deleting your account.
- SquigglyP, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1I would digg you up if you deleted your account.
- dezertrat, on 08/07/2008, -1/+2ZOMG!!! THE COMMENTS ARE BROKEN!!
- SquigglyP, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2actually, after a few weeks of no one getting their self-masturbatory comment diggs, the site might start looking like it used to again. I'm all for this change. I hope they remove the shouts as well.
So I'm not going to digg you (not that it would matter anyway) as I would like to leave it the way it is. It only breaks the site for the retards who think the internet is nothing but a popularity contest.- Pusod, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1but I thrive on the attention my comments make. it makes me feel so very special. it's like a quick little ego boost to start the day.
- monkeeofevil, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1have you thought about addressing the reason you have the need to feel said ego boost?
Tell me, how vas ze velatizionship viz your fazer? ;)
- bulletproofx, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Don't go and break your Macbook Air!!!!!!!
- jorichter, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Kanye
- TheTaoOfBill, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4OMG EVERYONE STARTS WITH 1 LESS DIGG!! THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!!!!
I'm only pissed that the capchas are back- Hortnon, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1No, Bill, you don't understand!
How many Diggs your comments get are serious ***** business!
I might have to go home early from work to deal with the suffering this is causing!
(Though the capchas are annoying)
- Hortnon, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1No, Bill, you don't understand!
- Briii, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1if the system wasn't broken would bury you
- ChronicColonic, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2http://digg.com/tech_news/What_happened_to_the_com ...
This needs to be front paged...not my submission. - millson249, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2OMG I don't know who is digging what comments so I know what to digg to fit in! I can't make up my mind anymore!!
- IglooBurner, on 08/07/2008, -0/+3here you go.
religion rules
establishment are awesome.
science sucks.
ron paul can suck my dick.
vote mccain.
bush is the best president ever
bomb iran
gay marriage should be illegal
vista > linux
IE > firefox
!!!!111!!ONE ONE !!!!11
- evil-doer, on 08/07/2008, -14/+20 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs 0 diggs
- ginestony, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1-1
- AchaIemoipas, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Just to you.
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1-1
- drizzlelicious, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1One digg.
- shutaro, on 08/07/2008, -7/+12***** you, two of my friends died from 0 diggs.
- Lythium, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2Way to take blatant advantage of the fact that no one can bury you -.-
- shutaro, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1@Lythium: It's like Christmas... It comes but once a year. Look on the bright side, at least you know I'm not a spambot!
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -0/+0He was actually dugg by 4 people.
- Apocalyptic0n3, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Can we please stop this dumb fad? It is getting annoying.
- scy1192, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2apparantly, you don't automatically digg your own comment now?
- ginestony, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1-1
- c4sh, on 08/07/2008, -5/+2So, basically, Microsoft studied 30 billion instant messages to find out that it's actually 7 degrees of separation?
- DeFex, on 08/07/2008, -2/+2I am sure they had lots of meetings and had pie charts and said "tipping point" and "paradigm" many times to achieve this feat..
- drgmdp, on 08/07/2008, -0/+76.6
- jorichter, on 08/07/2008, -4/+1No is the answer to the article's question. It's a nice theory but no.
- alphonseragusa, on 08/07/2008, -1/+672 degrees: I know Tom. Tom knows everyone.
- sittered, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9The problem is, you're on Myspace.
- dougm68, on 08/07/2008, -2/+2and Toms a douche btw.
- sittered, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9The problem is, you're on Myspace.
- leerayIG88, on 08/07/2008, -13/+3***** you, two of my friends died in 6 degrees fahrenheit
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5For the love of god. I don't care if I can't ever digg anyone up, but please let me be able to bury again!
- Cuchanu, on 08/07/2008, -4/+2***** you, my buddy was buried alive!
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Let that be a warning to anyone else who tries to have sex with your mother.
MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON TOP. - monkeeofevil, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1***** you, your buddy killed my guy.
- dkapuchino, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5For the love of god. I don't care if I can't ever digg anyone up, but please let me be able to bury again!
- dashdingo, on 08/07/2008, -5/+3So, how do I meet the degrees necessary to meet some porn stars?
- RaspberryTang, on 08/07/2008, -2/+14This is six degrees of separation on the internet not the real world. There's many more people out there that don't have internet access, but as the world shrinks due to technology I can see this being validated.
- mille716, on 08/07/2008, -1/+8You're overlooking a big point though. People on the internet don't use IM to contact people they've never met before (minus the sexual predators, I guess). IM is overwhelmingly used to keep in contact with people you're already friends with. Its data can therefore be used to understand how many and how wide the average scope of contacts the average human in contact with. That data is then extrapolated to the wider, non-internet population.
I agree its not perfect but its interesting that we now have the resources to get a far better understanding of human connections.- ubuwalker31, on 08/07/2008, -2/+2Bull. There are plenty of people who use IM to contact people they don't know. For example, chat rooms. Myspace messaging. AIM used to have a wonderful opt-in "random IM" feature where you could find people all over the world to chat with. I wish they'd bring it back. It is perfectly normal to want to talk to new and different types of people. Ham radio operators have been doing it for generations.
You have a link that shows that most people never use IM to contact people they know in real life?
- ubuwalker31, on 08/07/2008, -2/+2Bull. There are plenty of people who use IM to contact people they don't know. For example, chat rooms. Myspace messaging. AIM used to have a wonderful opt-in "random IM" feature where you could find people all over the world to chat with. I wish they'd bring it back. It is perfectly normal to want to talk to new and different types of people. Ham radio operators have been doing it for generations.
- masterwont0n, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4I think this is very valid. I know for me personally there is 6 degrees of separation between me and Queen Elizabeth II.
My
(1)girlfriend's
(2)Sister's
(3)Best Friend's (CEO of Domino's Pizza)
(4)Doctor who's other patient is
(5)Sir Elton John who was knighted by
(6)Queen Elizabeth II
Once you find a link to a celebrity you can pretty much link yourself to anybody in the world.- Charklii, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1Should've stopped at 3 :o That's pretty cool.
- Zarokima, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1Do you get free pizza?
- mille716, on 08/07/2008, -1/+8You're overlooking a big point though. People on the internet don't use IM to contact people they've never met before (minus the sexual predators, I guess). IM is overwhelmingly used to keep in contact with people you're already friends with. Its data can therefore be used to understand how many and how wide the average scope of contacts the average human in contact with. That data is then extrapolated to the wider, non-internet population.
- sinverb, on 08/07/2008, -10/+1Im sorry microsoft, but my penis is 5.6
- UtahApocalyse, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5Very interesting, i do think that the average would be somewhere around 6. This study has many variables and hopefully had enough data to compinsate for the error rate in that.
- Cuchanu, on 08/07/2008, -2/+1This is why you should never hump anyone that looks like you because they are probably your cousin. I honestly think that some weird fear of this is what has kept me from dating white girls for years.
- tenio, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5lol
on the facebook app it says the average is about 6- kjcdude, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1http://apps.new.facebook.com/six_degrees_app/
- blueangel5383, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1I wouldn't think it is very representative of the population as MSN is mostly used by international students in the US usually. So it is a more selective population.
- santixar, on 08/07/2008, -3/+8Conclusion: Microsoft does read your instant messages.
- Altotus, on 08/07/2008, -2/+5No. The NSA, CIA, and FBI read your IMs. Microsoft just forwards them copies and keeps some simple stats.
- alphabetagaga, on 08/07/2008, -0/+7Isn't this redundant, because this same experiment has been performed a couple dozen times and the findings have been the same as the original Milgram experiment?
- Cappez, on 08/07/2008, -7/+2sh$$ 3 seconds left to type something f
- Cappez, on 08/07/2008, -1/+1unny
- ChronicColonic, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Digg's comment system broke ASCII art! Now we are all screwed!
- Cappez, on 08/13/2008, -0/+1Yea I tried to replace the ASCII with a message but editing time ran out.
- playwiththings, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2I hate the way Microsoft is always trying to peg me.
- spiritflare1, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2
and this is why I use Simp-Lite for MSN. - uberfu, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2Okay_ It's been a few long years since I was in a math class - But the last time I checked 6.6 is actually closer to the whole number 7 than the whole number 6_
So therefore the correct statement would be "7 degress of seperation" - andash, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Can someone get me in contact with John Winterstone?
- axle00, on 08/07/2008, -8/+4Umm....The REAL news here is that Microsoft IS READING YOUR IM'S. This is why you should use encryption.
- Shdwdrgn, on 08/07/2008, -0/+10And how did you come to this conclusion? Was it the comment in the article stating that the contents of the IM's were not read? Perhaps you've come up with a new way to perform this study which requires more information than just simply looking at which users contact which other users?
Not that I have any doubts that Microsoft, or any other IM service could easily read any message that I send across their service, but come on, you're just throwing out inflammatory tinfoil-hat ramblings which seem to be based on not having read the article, nor having the slightest clue of what kind of information is needed to make these calculations. - Cuchanu, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1Even if they were reading your IMs what do you have to hide? It's not like they are gonna tell your woman you are having gay virtual sex (just an example).
- Kypt, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Its not a matter of what to hide, but that they should stay out of your business.
- kiedesu, on 08/07/2008, -3/+1Even if you use encryption, Microsoft will try to steal your key and then decrypt your messages!
- axle00, on 08/07/2008, -0/+0Ok I know I was exaggerating a bit...Obviously Microsoft is NOT reading 30 billion IM's, but it's the fact that they CAN. The main reason I use a private VPN though is so that my ISP, other websites and perhaps most of all the US government can't track and trace everything I do, and put all my info into huge permanent databases. Also I don't want Google knowing everything that I search for.
- seiga, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1Right. Just like google "reads" your emails, ims, search history, etc. tool.
- Shdwdrgn, on 08/07/2008, -0/+10And how did you come to this conclusion? Was it the comment in the article stating that the contents of the IM's were not read? Perhaps you've come up with a new way to perform this study which requires more information than just simply looking at which users contact which other users?
- drizzlelicious, on 08/07/2008, -9/+1Hah! hah! You'll never digg me lower than -1!
- Mithivh, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2Why are all the coments at 0 digs? Is that even possible?
- iDiggYa, on 08/07/2008, -2/+9If you look carefully, you will see that it is possible.
- Kenzan, on 08/07/2008, -3/+6So I'm 6 degrees away from being close to Jessica Alba?
Sweet!
Fap fap fap fap.. - diggydougie, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2But what about people not in the Microsoft network? I'm surprised that it's higher than 6°. It is a self selecting network, they have much in common.
- xrEE, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9I'm glad there's 6 degrees between me and the rest of these commenter's.
- forceuser, on 08/07/2008, -2/+4What exactly does this "6 degrees of separation" mean?
- wilhoitm, on 08/07/2008, -0/+9You are all related by 6 links or less. Example: Think of it as being linked to other guys in your high school by a girl that almost everyone has also dated.
- monkeeofevil, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5"...Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth..." - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separa ... - desertDenizen, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Prior to the Kevin Bacon game, the term was popularized by a play called "6 Degrees of Separation" in 1990, but the history of the "shrinking world" theory goes back much further.
Full story at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separa ...
- radiofrequency, on 08/07/2008, -7/+1If Microsoft studied it, the conclusion is probably false.
- jerrycurley, on 08/07/2008, -1/+4How so?
- TheMachine1, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2It sounds interesting at first read but when you factor even people you have a first degree connection with may have a concrete barrier between you and any real empathy makes the entire 6 degrees of separation utterly meaningless. A person that is six degrees away might as well be a million degrees away.
- banjokelly, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5This is completely anal of me but I have to get it out of my head!
The popular 6 degrees of separation theory that I understood was that anyone is only 6 people away from anyone else in the world (or Kevin Bacon) - and there still seems to be no scientific evidence for this the way I see it. Because:
a) Even the original 1969 study between many people in Nebraska and one person in Boston was limited to the US, and came up with 6.2 as the average number (meaning that even between Nebraska and Boston, there were individuals separated by far more than 6.2 connections). On the flip side of this, unlike the microsoft study, the 1969 study Nebraska participants couldn't have known the most efficient route to that individual in Boston.
b) As pointed out above by Raspberry Tang, this Microsoft study analysed MS Messenger participants. Who are a more active subset of the typical internet user, who because of their possible higher education and income levels compared to non internet users, may or may not tend to have more social contacts in the real world and obviously more in the virtual world, which would decrease the number of jumps to get to anyone else in the world.
So basically, I'm wondering what the maximum degrees of separation is between a new born baby living in a remote amazon tribal village, and one living in an aborigine village is Australia. It must be far more than 6.6 surely.
Apologies for inflicting my analism on you!- flavanoid, on 08/07/2008, -0/+3Its not anal at all, its called "thinking".
but as for the discrepancies, I recommend looking in to it. There is more to it than just routes of efficiency. Its more in line with nature's algorithms and people who act as central nodes etc. Its not an exact measure but a fair summary of how people function in interconnected networks.
or its all Kevin Bacon's fault which is possible...I wonder if he has a facebook... - mille716, on 08/07/2008, -0/+2Good points but let me try to defend the study for a moment. The data is used to extrapolate the average human connections to the rest of the world. I read it and figured (perhaps I'm a bit trusting here) that the social scientists studying it are using the IM only as a means to find out the width of connections the average human has contacts with and is then extrapolating that data to the rest of the world. It'd be a valid data source since people rarely IM someone they've never met out of the blue, and I'm sure the study's scientists had some levels of adjustments for these one-time IM's. Given this, IM data would be a wet dream for social scientists to use to study this. The affluent person connected to the net will likely have more contacts in life than the baby born in the remote village but remember, 6.6 is the average only. The villagers would then be then be on the fringes of the curve.
- RockSlice, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1Well, that baby in the Amazon tribe has parents (1). Those parents probably met an anthropologist at some point (2). That anthropologist probably goes to conferences with another anthropologist interested in primitive tribes (3). One of those other anthropologists has probably gone to the tribe in Australia, meeting the Aboriginal baby's parents (4), who know the baby (5).
So the answer to your question is 5 (possibly 6 or 7 if it takes another step to get to/from the anthropologists. - ubuwalker31, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1I don't see how the results are that surprising. Think about it. Lets say you have met or have known 1000 people in your whole entire life. Those same 1000 people have also met or known around 1000 people as well. Thats 10 ^ 100,000,000 different combinations of people. So the odds are very high that there should be some sort of tangential connection at least 6.2 to 6.6 relationships out between people on the earth.
- flavanoid, on 08/07/2008, -0/+3Its not anal at all, its called "thinking".
- holysocks, on 08/07/2008, -3/+2by using msn? yea sure... one spammer probably linked them all
- kiedesu, on 08/07/2008, -6/+1I know Bush. Everyone knows Bush.
So, we are two degrees apart. - wilhoitm, on 08/07/2008, -6/+1After counting to 6.6 degrees of separation the Windows Vista servers crashed.
- geekymonkey, on 08/07/2008, -4/+12How am I supposed to know if comments are funny or not?!?
- eternalmuse, on 08/07/2008, -2/+0I hate how this works... how do we separate? like make a person non-existent? no longer a connection?
- ksmcafee, on 08/07/2008, -3/+0god damn that kevin bacon
- ChstrCopperpot, on 08/07/2008, -2/+0So MS is assuming everyone on the planet is using their ***** IM client? Big leap of faith.
- bobbydassler, on 08/07/2008, -1/+0Now if I could only figure out how to get 1 in 6 to Sweetr.net that would be wickedawesome!
- zunkus, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4I'm 3 degrees from the Bacon in real life, If you know one famous actor or athlete it makes you close to ***** everyone.
- duke3k, on 08/07/2008, -0/+1The fact that they weren't privy to the conversation contents makes me wonder how many of these connectors were porno bots that message thousands upon thousands of people they don't know daily?
- seiga, on 08/08/2008, -0/+0Probably used a sanity check that looked for accounts that im'd at too routine of a schedule or that committed excessive rate limit breaches. It probably isn't that hard to get rid of most of those types from the data set with some simple analysis.
- MetalGear7, on 08/08/2008, -0/+3So let me get this straight, I'm related to Bill Gates? $.$
- seiga, on 08/08/2008, -0/+0The magnitude of your net worth is just 6 degrees off.
- Ortheos, on 08/08/2008, -1/+1That's cute....Microsoft reads your msn conversations.
- Mockylock, on 08/08/2008, -0/+1If that's true, they shouldn't have any problem finding Osama.
- mikeon1510, on 08/09/2008, -0/+0so this means i could be linked to any criminal on earth ? gotta hide !
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