
178 ◾ Web 2.0 and Beyond: Principles and Technologies
builds on the ideas of Mark Granovetter
*
) and one in which the analysis of SNSs can play
a major role (Xiang et al. 2010).
Social psychologists have long observed the existence of social relations that involve
little interaction. One primary example is Stanley Milgram’s 1972 essay on the familiar
stranger—individuals that we regularly observe but do not interact with.
†
e presence of
this kind of relationship is conrmed by Donath and boyd (2005) who have observed that
online social network users oen display large numbers of connections as a form of self-
identity and status.
is research ...