Six Degrees of Separation
8.07
Ratings: 8.07/10 from 59
users.
Documentary unfolding the science behind the idea of six degrees of separation.
Originally thought to be an urban myth, it now appears that anyone on the planet can be connected in just a few steps of association.
Six degrees of separation is also at the heart of a major scientific breakthrough.
That there might be a law which nature uses to organize itself and that now promises to solve some of its deepest mysteries. (Excerpt from bbc.co.uk)
Absolutely horrible I was forced to watch this as homework, and the entire time I wanted to off myself, I couldn't bear to finish it so I just guessed on all the answers
The adverse impact of the network is illustrated by the COVID-19 epidemic
I thought it was 3 degrees of separation, not 6
Yo who in ba1002 rn and hates that straight need who calculated love with math cuz he a nerd
Te test is biased to Western people who can afford to use UPS, FedEx, etc.
Truth is "god"? Yeah right
I saw this doco on the TV more than a year ago and thought it was great, but watching it for a few minutes on-line, and I've had a few drinks, I realised the study is flawed, because it involves middle-class people with access to technology. How would it go if the people didn't have that background? Would a San person from the Kalahari have that connection with the outside world? Would they care? I know the world is a small place and "getting smaller", but let's not be disingenuous and try to put a spin on something with a cultural socio-economic bias.
PS Expand this to fractal geometry, mathematics itself, all design, anatomy, and function. It is the proof of the Darwin theory of evolution, survival and the math of statistics.
I first encountered this several years ago. I toyed with it and descended to the idea of contraction rather than expansion of networks. I had the epiphany about 20 years ago with the idea of a network with only two degrees of freedom. It is the real world of all that is true. It is the binary system of number. It the random chance of being true or false of any possible combination of two elements. The world of two degrees is the physical world of facts. It may even may be a better way to see the real world. An event is one degree and the negation or non-event the second. The network of all possibilities consists of random events each with two degrees of freedom. The impossible has no freedom to be. The impossible has no freedom. The possible has two, to be or not to be. That is the question. The God created world is a world of two degrees, possible and impossible. The possible has two degrees, true or false. At the level of six degrees it becomes a hub based network described in this example. No matter how many random events, they connect at a limit of about six. It is the basis of evolution, species, biology and the periodic table of the elements. Think about it. Truth is God. TIG
I really enjoyed this and there is a genuine sense that there is something really important here, but alas, I am too dense to know just what that is. That said, I'm pretty certain I'm no more than six steps away from someone who clearly sees and understands much of the significant implications.
Well-made documentary though I am skeptical in the validity. I would consider a geneticist like Marc Vidal a 'hub' in this network theory and the success rate was still remarkably low. Choosing a more common person (say a rice farmer) with a larger sample size (possibly up to 1000) and a more reliable way of connecting (using all sorts of media - not just the post) would produce more accurate results.
It was still entertaining to watch.
Lovely to find this excellent BBC Horizon doc once again. The 'science of networks', with some nice details.
well this explains a lot!!! like why those that rule so desperately try to separate us from others when every single of us is connected to another..
if we all start believing this theory it would simply make this world fall apart!
think for a moment that nobody would fight against not one!
think that this could make peace on earth!
that nobody would starve because 5 of us would know a single person that has enough money (=hub) and will to buy dinner for the other 5!!!!!!
Beautifully made documentary. There are some flaws (like the method used to identify contacts and deliver the UPS packages), but the basic idea of 'network theory' is absolutely fascinating. The basic question everyone's seeking to answer is -- "How does order emerge from chaos?" I was hoping that beyond just telling viewers what the six degrees of separation were and the various research studies done on the subject, they would identify applications for the theory and talk about its potential use in the future --- and they did! The human social network is just an extension of the network theory. So is the spread of viruses, both biological and electronic. Its amazing how much someone can achieve by becoming a 'network hub'. Highly recommended!!
absolutely true but have the scientist found how the hubs are generated & why..? Clue this is an element that not only divides cells but holds the universe together with endless energy.
Absolute Paranoia
This thought experiment is nothing new. The Roman empire used it in conquest, then trade. The british empire used it to dominate world trade. Now the USA is using it with the internet to dominate the world.
The thought experiment I would like them to explore next is how hubs of activity dominate by getting there first, and why and how they eventually die in atrophy/ entropy, then are reborn in different forms.
How many of the packages were never received by the intended recipient? This speaks to a lack of commitment on the part of a link in the chain, not the degrees of separation. And how many took more steps? And how many took less? The number 6 is an average. We are finding more and more the mathematical, including spatial, time, and geometric synchronizations in nature, i.e. everything. There are other theories that are similar such as fractals, Fibonacci numbers, that can predict relationships found occurring in nature. Since we are animals, a component of nature, why would we be outside the realm of natural law? Yes, we can think for ourselves, but I challenge you to identify one idea you have had or thought about that has not been influenced by some other person, which includes our personal preferences that are influenced by our genetic heritage.
The real found info is the hub theory that flies in the face of the central limit theorem that says with large enough numbers, and all else equal a graph will be the normal, or bell shape for measuring almost anything. The hub theory found a skewed graph with large numbers (a few people who know a lot of people) focused on one end and "falling off a cliff."
BUT we are not CRICKETS , we are SPIRITUAL BEINGS.... but yes we are all connected... one realizes this and its left amaze.... synchronization
first 2 minutes...this may help us to fight terrorism,fight global pandemic.....nwo propaganda alert goes off in head.press stop find new doc to watch
Terrible documentary, just hype on everything being related not one shread of explanation why. So a package got to it's destination, what was the chain? A waste of time to watch.
Actually this really works for me and Johnny Depp.
Aww, I love it when nerdy maths guys "discover" something that is a well known spiritual truth, and they get all giddy and excited about it. No really, it's totally cute. Well, good for them, and it never hurts to be reminded how connected the world is - not just people, but everything.
I remember playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon way back when - but we soon got tired of that and started to do it with any public figure we wanted. It wasn't too long before we discovered for ourselves what a universal idea Six Degrees is.
Good doc! I'd heard the phrase, now I know what it is. It started as a myth and now is a new science. Fascinating!
What an interesting documentary. On the one hand, a great description of the importants of networks, hubs, relationships and sharing. This could be advanced, but it is not “new”. On the other hand, the focus on a principle of 6 steps of connection between all people and the conclusion that it “works” is really strange (coming from scientists and mathematician). The data the documentary presented shows that only 7.5% tests complied with the 6 steps of connection between all people theory, and 92.5% of the tests failed to meet the criteria.