Linked: How everything is connected to everything else and what it means for business, science, and everyday life

June-8-2017

Chapter 10: Viruses and Fads

This chapter illustrates why viruses (e.g., AIDS, computer viruses) and fads (e.g.,instant online celebrities) can spread and disfuse in "efficient" and "astonishing" speed and range. 

The key to this answer is: both the social network and internet network are small-world networks, where hubs play a dominant role. These hubs "contribute" significantly in the spreading and diffusion of viruses and fads. 

Therefore, when budget is limited, the most effient way to stop the diffusion of AIDS is to treat the hubs (individuals with most sexual parters). 

Good sentences:

Innocations and biological or computer viruses spread across inhomogeneous networks where hubs run the show.

The implications of the studies are that we are in for more surprises when it comes to show much we know about spreading and disfussion. I believed that the results obtained so far represent only the tip of the iceberg （冰山一角）. 

Whereas spreading and disfussion have universal properties, individual systems have unique features that are often as important as some of the generic laws. 

Understanding the fundamental laws that govern spreading and disfussion is the key prerequisite for success. 

The recent breakthroughs in these directions offer a strong impetus (动力) to revist problems ranging from marketing to the spread of influenza (流感) and to critically inspect the inherent (内在的) assumptions.

As we follow this path, I am convinceed that many more suprises and potential breakthroughs will surface (浮出水面).