New specialty on Social Networks: human connections in the digital era

Even though we live on a planet with over seven billion people, every person is just six handshakes away from knowing anyone else – the idea of ‘six degrees of separation’. Over the last two decades, the introduction of new media and networking platforms has radically changed the way humans interact with one another.

Social Networks, a new specialty section in Frontiers in Human Dynamics, is dedicated to research on emerging patterns of social networks as a result of these new digital communication channels_._

DISCOVER SOCIAL NETWORKS

“With this section we want to address the grandest challenge of all: how do we, as species, change our ways of interacting and working together as a result of new technologies? How can we use new methods and tools to study old phenomena? What are the things that don't change?” explains Professor Dariusz Jemielniak , the Specialty Section’s new Chief Editor from Kozminski University.

Discover Prof. Jemielniak’s vision for Social Networks in the Specialty Grand Challenge editorial

Prof. Jemielniak’s own research is influenced by his involvement in the Wikipedia movement. “As an avid Wikipedian since 2006, I have been increasingly fascinated by how humans organize their cooperation online,” he says. “The dynamics of social networks, spontaneous modes of collaboration, as well as different new phenomena visible only online, have drawn my attention and hooked me ever since.”

Social Networks takes a highly interdisciplinary approach and welcomes scholars from a variety of fields. “Anyone interested in social network analysis, or more generally social studies with some network component, should consider Social Networks as their first choice for original research submissions,” says Prof. Jemielniak.

Want to become involved? Our first Research Topic Peer Governance in Online Communities is now open for submissions. You can also lead your own Research Topic or submit your cutting-edge research to Social Networks.

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