Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reflections on networks, human behaviour, and social dynamics in the digital age

  • Open Forum
  • Published:
AI & SOCIETY Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article offers a critical discussion in the form of debate (this debate constitutes part of the special session “The Future of the Internet and its Social Dynamics” that took place during the Fourth International e-Life Congress, held in Athens, Greece, in November 2015) among experts in the fields of networks, human behaviour, and social analysis about key issues that arguably affect the human nature and society in the digital age. Based on the responses of Nicholas Christakis to an interview (this interview was given in English and professionally edited for clarity in written form) given to the authors, some key questions, applications, and limitations regarding the research on digital networks are discussed, together with hot issues related to the nature of digital data and experimentation in contemporary social science. Finally, current and future prospects are presented in relation to data science and society in the light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akerlof GA, Shiller RJ (2015) Phishing for Phools: The Economics of Manipulation and Deception. Princeton University, Princeton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Askitas N (2016). Big Data is a big deal but how much data do we need?. AStA Wirtschafts-und Sozialstatistisches Archiv 10(2–3), 113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bapna R, Umyarov A (2015) Do your online friends make you pay? A randomized field experiment on peer influence in online social networks. Manage Sci 61(8):1902–1920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batty M (2015). Data about cities: Redefining big, recasting small. Data and the City Workshop: The Programmable City Project. Maynooth: National University of Ireland.

  • Bessi A, Ferrara E (2016). Social bots distort the 2016 US Presidential election online discussion. First Monday 21(11) http://www.firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/7090. Accessed 10 Jan 2017

  • Blanchard OJ, Summers L H (1986). Hysteresis and the European unemployment problem. NBER Macroecon Annu 1(1), 15–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boccaletti S, Criado R, Romance M, Torres JJ (2016) Introduction to focus issue: complex dynamics in networks, multilayered structures and systems. Chaos: an interdisciplinary. J Nonlinear Sci 26(6):065101

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke M, Kraut RE (2016) The relationship between Facebook use and well-being depends on communication type and tie strength. J Comput Mediat Commun 21(4):265–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christakis NA, Fowler JH (2009) Connected: the surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. Little Brown & Co, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Everton SF (2004) A Guide for the visually perplexed: visually representing social networks, 41 edn. Stanford University, Stanford

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs C (2015) Culture and economy in the age of social media. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Helbing D (2015a) Thinking ahead: essays on big data, digital revolution, and participatory market society. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Helbing D (2015b). The Automation of Society is Next: How to Survive the Digital Revolution. (Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2694312)

  • ITF (2015). Big data and transport: understanding and assessing options. International Transport Forum, Paris: OECD. http://www.itf-oecd.org/content/big-data-and-transport

  • Katerelos I (2013) Chaos and order in social systems. The HESIOD model: social dynamics simulations. Papazisis Publications, Athens

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim DA, Hwong AR, Stafford D, Hughes DA, O’Malley AJ, Fowler JH, Christakis NA (2015) Social network targeting to maximise population behaviour change: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet 386(9989):145–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitchin R (2014). Short presentation on the need for critical data studies. The Program-mable City blog http://www.nuim.ie/progcity/2014/04/short-presentation-on-the-need-for-critical-data-studies/

  • Krebs V (2002). Uncloaking terrorist networks. First Monday 7(4) http://www.firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/941/863

  • Kucharski A (2016) Post-truth: Study epidemiology of fake news. Nature 540(7634):525–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milgram S (1967) The small world problem. Psychol Today. 2(1):60–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Mosco V (2015) To the cloud: big data in a turbulent World. Paradigm Books, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Orwell G (1949) Nineteen Eighty-Four. Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Palla G, Derényi I, Farkas I, Vicsek T (2005) Uncovering the overlapping community structure of complex networks in nature and society. Nature 435(7043):814–818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park RW (2016) Usefulness of big data in clinical research. J Hypertens 34:e539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pentland A (2009) Reality mining of mobile communications: Toward a new deal on data. The Global Information Technology Report 2008–2009. In: Dutta S, Mia I. (eds) Chap. 1.6. World Economic Forum, Geneva, pp 75–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Prisecaru P (2016) Challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Knowledge Horizons. Economics 8(1):57–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Pureswaran V, Brody P (2015) Device Democracy: Saving the Future of the Internet of Things. IBM Institute for Business Value (Available at: http://www.coe-iot.in/pdf/GBE03620USEN%20Device_Democracy.pdf)

  • Raab J, Milward HB (2003) Dark networks as problems. J Public Adm Res Theory 13(4):413–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts N, Everton SF (2011) Strategies for combating dark networks. J Soc Struct 12(2) http://hdl.handle.net/10945/41260

  • Schwab K (2016) The Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Shorey S, Howard PN (2016) Automation, big data, and politics: a research review. Int J Commun 10(2016) 5032–5055.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun J, Reddy CK (2013) Big data analytics for healthcare. In: Proceedings of the 19th ACM SIGKDD International Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining. ACM, Chicago, pp 1525–1525

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Dam R (2015) Internet of things and its future. Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society, Los Angeles

  • WEF (2016) World Economic Forum White Paper: Digital Transformation of Industries. In collaboration with Accenture Digital Enterprise. World Economic Forum, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson P (2016) Take the time and effort to correct misinformation. Nature 540(7632):171–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson RE, Gosling SD, Graham LT (2012) A review of Facebook research in the social sciences. Perspect Psychol Sci 7(3):203–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeeman EC (1976) Catastrophe theory. Sci Am 234(4):65–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Many thanks are expressed to Ms. Efsevia Koutantou for commenting and translating relevant material from Greek to English.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), Athens, Greece

    Theodore Tsekeris

  2. Research Centre for Greek Society, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Charalambos Tsekeris

  3. Department of Psychology, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

    Ioannis Katerelos

Authors
  1. Theodore Tsekeris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charalambos Tsekeris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ioannis Katerelos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Theodore Tsekeris.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tsekeris, T., Tsekeris, C. & Katerelos, I. Reflections on networks, human behaviour, and social dynamics in the digital age. AI & Soc 33, 253–260 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-017-0704-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-017-0704-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation