“It’s a small world,” who hasn’t said this phrase at some point? When we discover that our friend knows someone else that we also know, or when we discover the connection between two people who, in theory, have nothing to do with each other.
But have you ever wondered? what separates you of a person who lives on the other side of the world or even meeting a famous person?
The truth is that today we live in a globalized world and interconnected through networks, so contacting anyone on the other side of the planet is easier than ever.
Based on this thought, many researchers have developed different theories, including the 6 degrees of separation theory.
The origin of the 6 degrees of separation theory
This is a theory that It states that any person may be connected with another through a network of contacts which does not exceed six people, thus existing only five points of connection between them.
Although it seems like an idea typical of a globalized world, its origin dates back to the last century, specifically to 1929. Why this date? Because this theory was proposed that same year by the writer Frigyes Karinthywho claimed that two unknown people, even if they live in completely different and remote places, are connected by a network of acquaintances that does not exceed five people.
Years later, in 1967, the psychologist Stanley Milgram He wanted to test the theory. How did he do it?
Milgram asked different people to They will send a package to someone on the other side of the world, so they knew their name, occupation and place of origin, so they would send the package to someone who might know that person and give it to them.
Although it seems complicated, the truth is that thanks to this test, Stanley Milgram managed to demonstrate that Only six people separate us. Since in just six or seven steps the package arrived at its destination.
Theory in a globalized world, at six clicks away?
It's been some time since this theory was first proposed and there are many the changes that have taken place since then, both social and technological.
The emergence of the Internet and social networks has marked a turning point for the theory proposed by scholars such as Karinthy. They are very useful tools that facilitate interaction between people from all over the world and speed up the process of expanding our network of contacts.
In addition, the use of networks allows the calculation of the distance between people, thanks to apps such as LinkedIn or Facebook. In fact, a study by the University of Milan Studies and Cornell researchers from 2011 show that the distance between two people on Facebook is 4.74 people.
Over time, the data shows that this separation has been evolving and gradually decreasing.
What is the use of this theory?
Although it may seem like a purely theoretical approach, the truth is that it has its uses in various sectors:
- In the business world. The six degrees of separation theory allows us to study how to create client and contact portfolios.
- In marketing and advertising. It is useful when it comes to seeing the importance of forming contact networks to promote the sale of a product or service.
- At an educational level. It can be taken into account for the transmission of a series of values, for example through information and prevention programs (on sexual education, gender violence or drug addiction, among others).