Social network structure changes how we’re influenced

We are largely in control of who we are connected to, but not in control of who they are connected to

We can control who we are connected to, but we can’t control who our connections are connected to, and we can’t control who our connections’ connections are connected to, even though various influences from these connections can be transmitted to us.

It’s hard for us to see how people we’re not directly connected to influence us.

Many research studies show that although we are all connected by less than six degrees, we are only influenced by people up to three degrees away from us. In other words, our friends’ friends’ friends.¹

We are only influenced by people up to three degrees away from us.