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Research on China’s city network based on users’ friend relationships in online social networks: a case study of Sina Weibo

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Abstract

Cities no longer develop independently but exist in a large city network in the globalization era because of the rapid development of information and communication technologies. Instead of attribute data, relational data has been widely recognized as an improved tool to analyze the importance of a city in a city network. This study attempts to analyze China’s city network based on users’ friend relationships in Sina Weibo, the most popular online social networking service in China. By collecting friend relationship data from 20 users located in the selected 51 cities, a city network is built based on connections in the virtual world. Findings show that although microblog users build friend relationships with other users located almost everywhere, significant variations exist regarding the closeness of such connections. In particular, a limited number of cities accumulate the majority of top connections; the limited number indicates the significant power of these key cities in the city network. These top connections are also highly related to cities located in Eastern China. The regression model demonstrates that a city with a higher of per capita GDP exerts a powerful influence in the city network. Compared with a prefecture-level city, a municipality directly under central government is considerably powerful. Therefore, the importance of a city in the real world has significant influence on the power of that city in the city network based on online social networking connections.

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Notes

  1. The survey report on the first year of microblog use in China (Zhongguo weibo yuannian shichang baipishu). Assessed 29 December 2014, from http://www.slideshare.net/lxm19871231/ss-5245420.

  2. In this study, China refers to Mainland China, that is, excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This consideration does not deny these administrative units are integral parts of China. However, Sina Weibo is not popular enough in these regions.

  3. The division of China into Eastern, Central, and Western China can be traced back to the “seventh 5-year plan” in 1986 and have been extensively used thereafter not only in academic research but also in policy making in China’s regional development. Eastern China includes Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan; Central China includes Anhui, Heilongjiang, He-nan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jilin, and Shanxi; and Western China includes Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Yunnan.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41571146, 41201119, 41301166). We thank anonymous referees for their valuable comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Human Geography Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China

    Zhen Feng

  2. Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

    Wang Bo

  3. Shanghai Urban Planning Verifying Center, Shanghai, China

    Chen Yingxue

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  1. Zhen Feng
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  2. Wang Bo
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  3. Chen Yingxue
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Correspondence to Wang Bo.

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Feng, Z., Bo, W. & Yingxue, C. Research on China’s city network based on users’ friend relationships in online social networks: a case study of Sina Weibo. GeoJournal 81, 937–946 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9743-x

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