TITLE:
Examining the Effects of Digital Social Networks on New Physical Human Interactions and Social Networks: A Validation of Dunbar’s Numbers
AUTHORS:
Fergus J. D. Keatinge
KEYWORDS:
Network Analysis, Facebook, Gephi, Force Atlas, Fruchterman Reingold
JOURNAL NAME:
Social Networking,
Vol.4 No.3,
July
9,
2015
ABSTRACT: The digital social network of a user, who had undergone two radical locational changes, was analyzed
to assess if digital social networks were influencing the ability of the user to create new
physical social bonds in regards to proximal distance of existing social interactions and if new
physical social networks conformed to Dunbar’s theorem of the social network size limit. The social
network data (users equating to nodes and physical friendships to links) was implemented
into the network analysis software “Gephi”. Standard network measures were assessed on the
three digital sub-networks with the user removed from the calculations. Two separation algorithms
were assessed on the network data, the Force Atlas algorithm and the Fruchterman Reingold
algorithm. The results contradicted with existing research indicating that existing digital social
networks did not have an effect on the creation of new social bonds after a radical locational
change. The creation of new physical social networks conformed in part to Dunbar’s network size
limit theorem and existing social links did not affect the user’s ability to create new social partnerships.