Research from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Biological Sciences suggests the way we talk or share links on social networks mirrors the way animal groups, like dolphins, share information.
According to a story in Mashable.com, our activity on Facebook and Twitter is hardly a new phenomenon. Dolphins, whales, monkeys and hoofed animals have been sharing information among their networks like this for eons.
No – they are not posting links and liking status updates, per se. But if one animal influences the group to, say, check out the waters near Fiji or chill on some greener pastures, others will follow.
In short, one animal starts a conversation among their network, others follow and thus the network effect occurs, with more and more animals joining the party and extending it to their circles, and so on.
The same six-degrees-of-separation theory that got so many of us connected to friends of friends and colleagues of colleagues on Facebook and LinkedIn is technically the same type of behavior Flipper and friends depend on for survival. (Read more)
Source: Mashable.com
Kathy Drasky regularly writes about online culture. Her marketing and communications work with the ANZA Technology Network, Advance Global Australians and with various Australians and Australian enterprises has led to at least a dozen trips Down Under.
An accomplished digital photographer, her photos have appeared in 7×7 Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and Google Schmap.
