How far we have come in six years
From Linked by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi (page 32)
First Published: 2002
"Our first goal was to obtain a map of the Web, essentially an inventory
of all Webpages and the links connecting them. The information
contained in such a map would be truly unparalleled. If we were to construct
a similar map for society, it would have to include each person's
professional and personal interests and chart everyone she or he knew. It
would make Milgram's experiment seem clumsy and obsolete by allowing
us to find, in seconds, the shortest path to any person in the world. It
would be a must-use tool for everyone from politicians to salespeople and
epidemiologists. Of course, such a social search engine is impossible to
build, since it would take at least a lifetime to interrogate all 6 billion
people on the earth to learn about their friends and acquaintances."
First Published: 2002
"Our first goal was to obtain a map of the Web, essentially an inventory
of all Webpages and the links connecting them. The information
contained in such a map would be truly unparalleled. If we were to construct
a similar map for society, it would have to include each person's
professional and personal interests and chart everyone she or he knew. It
would make Milgram's experiment seem clumsy and obsolete by allowing
us to find, in seconds, the shortest path to any person in the world. It
would be a must-use tool for everyone from politicians to salespeople and
epidemiologists. Of course, such a social search engine is impossible to
build, since it would take at least a lifetime to interrogate all 6 billion
people on the earth to learn about their friends and acquaintances."
