Sitting in a coffee shop in Spain, I feel more connected to people than ever. I am studying abroad and constantly meeting people from around the world. The more connections I create with those outside of my typical Ohio University social circle, the more I realize we are alike in more ways than those that meet the eye. As my world expands, it consequently, and fortunately, gets smaller for everyone. This is due to the six degrees of separation, a tested theory with an underrated capacity for connection when practiced in the digital world.
My high school Spanish teacher and I met for lunch when our paths aligned in Spain. I mentioned to her my admiration for the new friends I’ve collected, and she brought up the six degrees of separation. This rang a bell relating to phrases like, “You’re always five friends away from a celebrity,” or the “small world theory,” but the six-degree theory takes this idea even further to scientifically prove you are roughly six social exchanges away from any person in the world.
The idea was first tested in 1967 by Professor Stanley Milgram when he sent out over 100 packages to be delivered to named recipients, using only social connections to find him or her. The experiment averaged out to around six exchanges but was slightly faulted because only around 30% of the packers reached their recipient.
Another study done in 2023 asked, “Why the number six?” to further test this theory. It found this expansion of social connections stems from the desire for prominence clashing with the costs and benefits of building such connections. The expanding social web is described as a “bee hive” in which connections are formed and strengthened as others are lost until one is satisfied and meets their new-friend-making capacity.
Many studies analyzing connections between circles all find the same answer in the number six. However, with it being 57 years since the theory was first tested, results have changed alongside social media’s connective powers. This power to connect people paired with visualization of proximity could not only speed up the process but lower the number altogether.
In 2019, the platform X (Twitter at the time), did its own study to find their magic number. The average number of social connections between any two users across the world was 3.43. Five years later, I can only imagine how this number has changed. The power of social media connections is already known and utilized, but when you know you are suddenly less than four connections away from anyone in the world, the market for friends, careers or an expanding business, becomes immaculately accessible.
An expanding social circle makes each connection a drop of water in the exponential ripple effect of overlapping communities. When you gain trust in a friend, you suddenly trust their social circle and they in turn trust you. This element of familiarity can surpass all six exchanges and act as the foundation for new relationships between strangers.
Many factors can influence the number six such as age, personality or traveling. The size of one’s social circle shouldn’t determine happiness, but in many ways, it’s comforting to know it really is a small world, and it gets smaller with every new friend. With the power of social media at your fingertips and the magnificent number of six, and now three or four, you can find who you need without the limitation of total Instagram followers or oceans between you. There are more fish in the sea than you know.
My favorite finding in foreign friends, reminding me of the simplicity of this task to connect, is how we are all the same. No matter where you go, what you wear, or what language you speak, there are still introverts and extroverts, strangers kind and scornful, worried mothers, rebellious teenagers and soulmates waiting to be found.
Libby Evans is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Libby know by emailing her at le422021@ohio.edu.
