论文标题
在线社交网络的结构反映了离线世界中的结构
The Structure of Online Social Networks Mirror Those in the Offline World
论文作者
论文摘要
我们使用有关双向帖子频率的数据来定义两个Facebook数据集和一个Twitter数据集中的边缘（或关系），并使用它们来创建以自我为中心的社交网络。我们探讨了这些网络的内部结构，以确定它们是否具有与离线面对面网络中相同的分层结构（它们具有独特的缩放结构，并在5、15、50和150变化的情况下连续包含层连续层面）。这两个Facebook数据集最好通过四层结构和Twitter数据集来描述五层结构。这些层的绝对大小以及与每一层中与变化的平均接触频率的平均频率非常匹配离线网络中观察到的值。此外，所有三个数据集都揭示了〜1.5的最终网络层的存在。因此，我们的分析证实了以自我为中心的社交网络的分层结构的存在，其样本比以前用来描述它们的样本大得多（总共> 185,000个自我），并确定了仅在离线社交网络中假设的额外网络层的存在。此外，我们的分析表明，在线社区具有与离线面对面网络非常相似的结构特征。
We use data on frequencies of bi-directional posts to define edges (or relationships) in two Facebook datasets and a Twitter dataset and use these to create ego-centric social networks. We explore the internal structure of these networks to determine whether they have the same kind of layered structure as has been found in offline face-to-face networks (which have a distinctively scaled structure with successively inclusive layers at 5, 15, 50 and 150 alters). The two Facebook datasets are best described by a four-layer structure and the Twitter dataset by a five-layer structure. The absolute sizes of these layers and the mean frequencies of contact with alters within each layer match very closely the observed values from offline networks. In addition, all three datasets reveal the existence of an innermost network layer at ~1.5 alters. Our analyses thus confirm the existence of the layered structure of ego-centric social networks with a very much larger sample (in total, >185,000 egos) than those previously used to describe them, as well as identifying the existence of an additional network layer whose existence was only hypothesised in offline social networks. In addition, our analyses indicate that online communities have very similar structural characteristics to offline face-to-face networks.
