Networks, Dynamics, and the Small‐World Phenomenon

1999/09/01 by Duncan J. Watts · 1,545 citations
Mathematics · Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #Artificial intelligence #Cluster analysis #Coincidence #Complex Network Analysis Techniques #Complex network #Computer science #Data science #Epistemology #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation #Feature (linguistics) #Geography #Mathematics #Medicine #Natural (archaeology) #Network structure #Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence #Phenomenon #Philosophy #Physics #Randomness #Simple (philosophy) #Small-world network #Statistical physics #Statistics #Telecommunications #Theoretical computer science #Transmission (telecommunications)

paper · doi:10.1086/210318

published in American Journal of Sociology 105(2), 493-527 (University of Chicago Press)

openalex publication_date 1999/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

The small‐world phenomenon formalized in this article as the coincidence of high local clustering and short global separation, is shown to be a general feature of sparse, decentralized networks that are neither completely ordered nor completely random. Networks of this kind have received little attention, yet they appear to be widespread in the social and natural sciences, as is indicated here by three distinct examples. Furthermore, small admixtures of randomness to an otherwise ordered network can have a dramatic impact on its dynamical, as well as structural, properties‐a feature illustrated by a simple model of disease transmission.

Citations

• Threshold Models of Collective Behavior
• The Strength of Weak Ties

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