Six Degrees of Separation

Six Degrees of Separation, also known as the Human Web, is the simple theory that everyone on earth is separated by a friend of a friend in just six degrees.  You also may have heard the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” theory, in which everyone on earth is separated by just six degrees to actor Kevin Bacon.  In fact, JSN plans on illustrating how our entire staff is connected to the great actor later on this summer, so stay tuned!

With the explosion of social networking, the world is being connected in even fewer degrees, and people are starting to realize those connections faster.  In an article by Alex Cheng at Sysomos, they’ve discovered that with the advent of Twitter, we are all connected to each other by just five degrees.

On average, Twitter users have five degrees of separation between each other – meaning nearly everyone within Twitter is only five steps away. Of all friendship distances, five steps is the most common (41%), while a friendship distance of four steps is the second-most common (37%).

Have you tried this experiement yet?  Take a look at your friends on Facebook and Twitter, and see how you’re connected to everyone.  If you want to connect to JSN, follow us on twitter @JSNCafe or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/javasocialnetworking.