social-networking

We've blogged before about tools for visualising social networks, for instance who met who at a conference and this tool to visualise election donations, and written about analyses of whole country's social networks.

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar calculated in 1992 that the human brain's size should lead to our social groups naturally averaging at around 150.

The debate about the risks posed by internet addiction has begun again with the publication of an editorial in the American Journal of Psychiatry on the topic.

Let's take a look at what Jerald Block said. He identifies three "subtypes" of internet addiction: excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messaging (not strictly internet, I know).

Want to know if you're addicted? He provides these four criteria:

1. Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives
2. Withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension, and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible
3. Tolerance, including the need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use
4. Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue

Social networking online is grabbing all of the headlines. But huge numbers of people have been using cellphones to socialise electronically for much longer. Surely the mobile platform is a better one for social networking.

Computer scientist Vassilis Kostakos certainly thinks so. He recently told me about some FaceBook plugins he is developing that can connect people you meet in real life with their online profiles. It uses software installed on your phone to look for nearby devices using Bluetooth.