image credit: kristylopez, Flickr
A study of 30 billion electronic conversations among 180 million people from around the world, researchers have concluded that any two people on average are distanced by just 6.6 degrees of separation, meaning that they could be linked by a string of seven or fewer acquaintances. The database covered all of the MS Messenger IM network in June 2006, or roughly half the world’s instant-messaging traffic at that time, researchers said.
Check out the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103718_pf.html
While on the one hand this is easy to smile at – it is also quite profound and I wonder if it applies to more than just people – for example how about web links – is every web page separated by no more than six links… I always thought the answer to life the universe and everything was 42 – well maybe its 6, and then again 4+2 = 6!!!
Baron Conway