The Arithmetic of a Feed
Three short lessons for parents on why a feed is not typical: the long tail, the friendship paradox, and why "trending" is the opposite of normal.
For grown-ups, from what InferForge teaches children at Spark & Anvil.
Map the family’s friendships
You'll need: A big sheet of paper, pencils.
- Write the first names of six to ten people you all know as dots on the paper.
- Draw a line between any two who are friends. Count each person’s lines.
- For each person, work out the average number of lines their friends have.
- Compare: how many people have fewer friends than their friends do on average?
A little history, and what nobody knows
Your friends’ friends
The sociologist Scott Feld described the friendship paradox in 1991: on average, people’s friends have more friends than they do.
How much it shapes the way people feel online is not settled.
Source: Friendship paradox (Wikipedia)
The same idea at every age
- Ages 3–5Not made yet
- Ages 6–8Pass It On
- Ages 9–14Not made yet
- Ages 15–18Why Your Friends Have More Friends
Your child will meet this idea again at every age. The tools and courses here are the part for you.