*Ø* Blogmanac | Six degrees of capuccino
"How well do you know Madonna? Do you consider Tiger Woods a buddy? What about former South African President Nelson Mandela?
According to the "small world" theory, you should be just six handshakes away from each of them. But can anyone in the world really reach anyone else through a chain of just six friends?
"Yes, say researchers from Columbia University in New York, who have published the first results of their 'Small World Research Project.'
"They identified 18 target people in 13 different countries, then asked participants to get a message through to the target by sending e-mails to friends and acquaintances.
"On average, researchers say, people can reach their targets in five to seven steps."
Can National Geographic be putting us on? Sure, I believe in six degrees of separation (hey, back in the '80s we used to say five -- wha' happened?), however, this story above isn't about any six people, but six people rich enough to have not only computers, but Internet connections. Just for once, can the top five per cent of the planet please stop looking through this lens?
Surely a better bit of research would show whether someone sipping cafe latte in a Manhattan Starbucks is six or 26 degrees separated from a tribeswoman in Papua-Niugini or Malawi. That would be significant information that could be used not only by the idle priviliged but by human beings. National Geographic: please? Like, who cares about the subjects of this blind experiment, apart from big business? What's happening in the real world? You do much better with that one, or at least, you used to.
"How well do you know Madonna? Do you consider Tiger Woods a buddy? What about former South African President Nelson Mandela?
According to the "small world" theory, you should be just six handshakes away from each of them. But can anyone in the world really reach anyone else through a chain of just six friends?
"Yes, say researchers from Columbia University in New York, who have published the first results of their 'Small World Research Project.'
"They identified 18 target people in 13 different countries, then asked participants to get a message through to the target by sending e-mails to friends and acquaintances.
"On average, researchers say, people can reach their targets in five to seven steps."
Can National Geographic be putting us on? Sure, I believe in six degrees of separation (hey, back in the '80s we used to say five -- wha' happened?), however, this story above isn't about any six people, but six people rich enough to have not only computers, but Internet connections. Just for once, can the top five per cent of the planet please stop looking through this lens?
Surely a better bit of research would show whether someone sipping cafe latte in a Manhattan Starbucks is six or 26 degrees separated from a tribeswoman in Papua-Niugini or Malawi. That would be significant information that could be used not only by the idle priviliged but by human beings. National Geographic: please? Like, who cares about the subjects of this blind experiment, apart from big business? What's happening in the real world? You do much better with that one, or at least, you used to.
Pip Wilson posted item above at 1:37 AM | Permalink
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home