Social Behavior on Facebook

Insidefacebook recently posted an article called “Facebook’s ‘In-House Sociologist’ Shares Stats on Users’ Social Behavior” where Cameron Marlow, of The Economist, shares some findings:

His findings: while many people have hundreds friends on Facebook, they still only communicate with a small few. Or to quote the author of the article, “Humans may be advertising themselves more efficiently. But they still have the same small circles of intimacy as ever.” Insidefacebook

Lee Rainie, the director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project infers that people on social networks are not so much socializing, but broadcasting to those on the outside of the Dunbar circle.

To me, it seems that there is interaction (bidirectional communication) going on. Isn’t that networking? This just goes to prove my point that social networks are there to start new relationships and help maintain these relationships.

additional reading

• Dunbar’s number — theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships