Worried that certain candidates are popular while others don't appear to be?

[FSogol]

Maybe it is social media's fault?

From an MIT Technology Review article entitled: The Social-Network Illusion That Tricks Your Mind - Network scientists have discovered how social networks can create the illusion that something is common when it is actually rare.

One of the curious things about social networks is the way that some messages, pictures, or ideas can spread like wildfire while others that seem just as catchy or interesting barely register at all. The content itself cannot be the source of this difference. Instead, there must be some property of the network that changes to allow some ideas to spread but not others.

Today, we get an insight into why this happens thanks to the work of Kristina Lerman and pals at the University of Southern California. These people have discovered an extraordinary illusion associated with social networks which can play tricks on the mind and explain everything from why some ideas become popular quickly to how risky or antisocial behavior can spread so easily.

Network scientists have known about the paradoxical nature of social networks for some time. The most famous example is the friendship paradox: on average your friends will have more friends than you do.

This comes about because the distribution of friends on social networks follows a power law. So while most people will have a small number of friends, a few individuals have huge numbers of friends. And these people skew the average.

More at: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/538866/the-social-network-illusion-that-tricks-your-mind/

Don't be discouraged by numbers and popularity. It is still 7 Months until the first caucus/primary votes are counted.

[elleng]

1. Thanks, and glad I don't care about being 'popular!'

'Right' is more important to me!

[Koinos]

2. An interesting article.

There are lots of reasons I don't do Facebook. One of them is the "bandwagon" tendency. But there are other reasons.

Years ago, I read this book: "The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier," by Howard Rheingold.

You can read it online at:

http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/

And Howard Rheingold's home page:

http://rheingold.com/

[FSogol]

3. Thanks. n/t

[lovemydog]

4. I'm not discouraged either.

I'm just beginning to know Martin O'Malley an like what I see. I think we need all the allies we can get and I'm considering him as a lifelong ally for the causes that we all must address.

[brer cat]

5. I think that O'Malley's great strength

is his record of accomplishments. I keep hearing what wonderful things Bernie will do but where is evidence that he can do them? I can't help but believe that O'Malley's popularity will increase as people learn more about him and especially that he is a bona fide "can do" candidate.

[elleng]

6. ABSOLUTELY,

and I suspect that Iowa is a great place for him to begin informing them, especially that he is a bona fide "can do" candidate!