06.23.04
The Small World Project
A Columbia University social experiment
In this project, we intend to perform the first large scale, global verification of the small world hypothesis, using the modern Email equivalent of Milgram’s passport innovation. We hope to test not only average properties of lengths of acquaintance chains, but also the distribution of lengths, along with the effect of race, class, nationality, occupation, and education. We intend to
quantify the impact of additional target information upon search success and chain length, and
also to investigate the importance of “centers” individuals who are thought to exist who are disproportionately responsible for directing messages to the targets.
1. How does this experiment work?
Your task is to move a message closer to a target person somewhere in the world. You can be involved in several ways. You may have received a message from a contact of yours asking you to participate by moving forward an already existing message chain. You may also start your own message chains trying to reach a range of targets. You must send all messages using our website. Collectively, participants link together to form chains, reaching from inital senders to our chosen target individuals.
If you received an email from a friend or acquaintance with a link then you need to follow that link. Otherwise, you can just sign up and start your own chains. We first ask for your consent to participate in the experiment, and then ask for some basic information about you to help us better understand how messages move through social networks. You will then see your target’s photo and a short bio, and we will ask you which friend or acquaintance you wish to choose as the next person in the chain. Finally, we will send your contact a message from you, asking them to participate in the same way. This process continues until, hopefully, a chain reaches the target person.