Something Strange Happens When You Trace How Connected We Are explores the “six degrees of separation” idea by diving into small-world networks, from Duncan Watts’s shortcut-filled models to the surprising strength of weak ties that keep us all linked. You’ll see how these shortcuts make disease (and ideas) spread lightning-fast, why certain people become massive hubs in our social webs, and how Barabási’s preferential attachment explains the rise of influencers.
Along the way, Derek Muller uses fun simulations—like disease outbreaks and the Prisoner’s Dilemma—to show that even tiny changes in your local connections can ripple out to reshape the entire network. In short: our world is more tightly knit than you think, and your own behavior can literally change how it all connects.
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