Small-World Theory

The Small-World Theory suggests that in many networks—such as social connections, neural networks, or the internet—most nodes (people, computers, etc.) are connected through a surprisingly small number of steps or links. This means any two individuals or points can often be connected via just a few acquaintances or intermediate nodes. The concept highlights how social or networked systems are highly interconnected, facilitating rapid information transfer and close-knit communities despite their large size. Essentially, it explains why the world feels "small" because of these short connection paths across complex networks.