IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/cam/camdae/0603.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Social Network Theory, Broadband and the World Wide Web

Author

Listed:
  • Sgroi, D.

Abstract

This paper aims to predict some possible futures for the World Wide Web based on several key network parameters: size, complexity, cost and increasing connection speed thorough the uptake of broadband technology. This is done through the production of a taxonomy specifically evaluating the stability properties of the fully-connected star and complete networks, based on the Jackson and Wolinsky (1996) connections model modified to incorporate complexity concerns. We find that when connection speeds are low neither the star nor complete networks are stable, and when connection speeds are high the star network is usually stable, while the complete network is never stable. For intermediate speed levels much depends upon the other parameters. Under plausible assumptions about the future, we find that the Web may be increasingly dominated by a single intermediate site, perhaps best described as a search engine.

Suggested Citation

  • Sgroi, D., 2006. "Social Network Theory, Broadband and the World Wide Web," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0603, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
  • Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:0603
    Note: IO
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/research-files/repec/cam/pdf/cwpe0603.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Narine Badasyan & Subhadip Chakrabarti, 2003. "Private Peering Among Internet Backbone Providers," Industrial Organization 0301002, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Jan 2003.
    2. Jackson, Matthew O. & Wolinsky, Asher, 1996. "A Strategic Model of Social and Economic Networks," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 44-74, October.
    3. Sanjeev Goyal & Marco J. van der Leij & José Luis Moraga-Gonzalez, 2006. "Economics: An Emerging Small World," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(2), pages 403-432, April.
    4. Gabrielle Demange & Wooders Myrna, 2005. "Group Formation in Economics: Networks, Clubs and Coalitions," Post-Print halshs-00576778, HAL.
    5. Matthew O. Jackson, 2003. "A survey of models of network formation: Stability and efficiency," Working Papers 1161, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. D'Ignazio, A. & Giovannetti, E., 2004. "From Exogenous to Endogenous Networks: Internet Applications," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0445, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    2. Antoni Calvó-Armengol & Yves Zenou, 2004. "Social Networks And Crime Decisions: The Role Of Social Structure In Facilitating Delinquent Behavior," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 45(3), pages 939-958, August.
    3. Cowan, Robin, 2004. "Network models of innovation and knowledge diffusion," Research Memorandum 016, Maastricht University, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    4. Hellmann, Tim & Staudigl, Mathias, 2014. "Evolution of social networks," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 234(3), pages 583-596.
    5. Alexander Elbittar & Rodrigo Harrison & Roberto Muñoz, 2007. "Network Structure in a Link-formation Game: An Experimental Study," Working papers DTE 405, CIDE, División de Economía.
    6. Sanjeev Goyal & Marco J. van der Leij & José Luis Moraga-Gonzalez, 2006. "Economics: An Emerging Small World," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(2), pages 403-432, April.
    7. Matthew O. Jackson & Brian W. Rogers, 2005. "Search in the Formation of Large Networks: How Random are Socially Generated Networks?," Game Theory and Information 0503005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Alessio D'Ignazio & Emanuele Giovannetti, 2006. "From Exogenous To Endogenous Economic Networks: Internet Applications," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(5), pages 757-796, December.
    9. Yannis M. Ioannides, 2005. "Random Graphs and Social Networks: An Economics Perspective," Discussion Papers Series, Department of Economics, Tufts University 0518, Department of Economics, Tufts University.
    10. Lippert, Steffen & Spagnolo, Giancarlo, 2011. "Networks of relations and Word-of-Mouth Communication," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 202-217, May.
    11. Hellmann, Tim & Landwehr, Jakob, 2014. "Stable Networks in Homogeneous Societies," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 517, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
    12. Rajgopal Kannan & Lydia Ray & Sudipta Sarangi, 2007. "The structure of information networks," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 30(1), pages 119-134, January.
    13. Nicolas Carayol & Pascale Roux & Murat Yıldızoğlu, 2008. "In search of efficient network structures: the needle in the haystack," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 11(4), pages 339-359, February.
    14. Jean-François Caulier & Ana Mauleon & Vincent Vannetelbosch, 2013. "Contractually stable networks," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 42(2), pages 483-499, May.
    15. in 't Veld, Daan & van der Leij, Marco & Hommes, Cars, 2020. "The formation of a core-periphery structure in heterogeneous financial networks," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. De Silva, Dakshina G. & Gertsberg, Marina & Kosmopoulou, Georgia & Pownall, Rachel A.J., 2022. "Evolution of a dealer trading network and its effects on art auction prices," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    17. Carayol, Nicolas & Roux, Pascale, 2009. "Knowledge flows and the geography of networks: A strategic model of small world formation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 414-427, August.
    18. Goeree, Jacob K. & Riedl, Arno & Ule, Aljaz, 2009. "In search of stars: Network formation among heterogeneous agents," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 445-466, November.
    19. Calvó-Armengol, Antoni & Patacchini, Eleonora & Zenou, Yves, 2005. "Peer Effects and Social Networks in Education and Crime," Working Paper Series 645, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    20. Carayol, Nicolas & Roux, Pascale, 2005. "Self-organizing Innovation Networks: When do Small Worlds Emerge?," European Journal of Economic and Social Systems, Lavoisier, vol. 18(2), pages 307-332.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    social network theory; connection speed; broadband; complete network; fully-connected star;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:0603. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Jake Dyer (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.econ.cam.ac.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.