Facebook opens up 'four degrees of separation' theory

till very much a theory open to hotly contested debate the idea that you're just four-clicks away from the world could soon be proved thanks to Facebook

Facebook has carried out a mass study which suggests that on their site everyone is now an average from just four clicks away from the rest of the Facebook population, cutting down the widely held 'Six degrees of separation' theory to just four.

"When we limit our analysis to a single country, be it the US, Sweden, Italy, or any other, we find that the world gets even smaller, and most pairs of people are only separated by 3 degrees (4 hops)."

In a study carried out with the help of the Università degli Studi di Milano the social website was able to show that in fact since its inception Facebook has drastically made the world a smaller place.

Bringing forth the theories of 'Glocalisation' which implies the power that online social networks have in making the world feel more local, the study is a startling reminder of just how many people use Facebook.

"In our studies, performed earlier this year, we examined all 721 million active Facebook users (more than 10% of the global population), with 69 billion friendships among them. To date, these are the largest social network studies ever released."

Is this news a good thing or a bad thing, is the world becoming a smaller place? Let us know what you think via the comments box below...

Source: Facebook