Editing Small-world experiment (section)

===Modern Studies and Digital Networks===
With the rise of [[digital communication]] and [[online social networks]], researchers have revisited the small-world phenomenon in large-scale, real-world contexts. Modern studies indicate that the degrees of separation have significantly decreased, particularly due to the widespread use of social media platforms.

One of the most extensive studies on digital networks was conducted by Facebook and the University of Milan. In 2011, researchers analyzed the connections between 721 million active Facebook users—over 10% of the global population at the time. They found that the average number of intermediaries between any two users was 4.74, suggesting a much smaller world than previously estimated.<ref>{{cite news|author=John D. Sutter|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/tech/social-media/facebook-six-degrees/index.html?|title=On Facebook, it's now 4.74 degrees of separation|work= |location= |publisher=CNN Business |access-date=22 November 2011}}</ref>
By 2016, an updated study by Facebook revealed that this number had further decreased to just 3.57 degrees of separation, highlighting the growing interconnectedness of individuals through digital platforms. <ref>{{cite news|author=Jonah Engel Bromwich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/technology/six-degrees-of-separation-facebook-finds-a-smaller-number.html|title=Six Degrees of Separation? Facebook Finds a Smaller Number|work= The New York Times|date=4 February 2016 |location= |access-date=4 February 2016}}</ref>

The increasing reach of digital networks has profound implications across various domains:
*Networking and Employment: Online professional platforms enable job seekers and employers to connect across geographic boundaries, facilitating career opportunities beyond traditional networks.
*Marketing and Business: Social media allows businesses to reach global audiences, using targeted advertising and personalized content to engage consumers more effectively.
*Information Dissemination: News, trends, and social movements spread rapidly across digital networks, sometimes within minutes, reshaping the way societies consume and react to information.
While digital connectivity has brought people closer, it also presents challenges such as misinformation spread, privacy concerns, and the impact of online interactions on real-world relationships. Nonetheless, these studies demonstrate how technology continues to reshape social structures, reducing the degrees of separation and further validating the small-world phenomenon in the digital age.