Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Integrating Computerized Linguistic and Social Network Analyses to Capture Addiction Recovery Capital in an Online Community
Published on: May 31, 2019
Influence of reciprocal links in social networks
Yu-Xiao Zhu1, Xiao-Guang Zhang2, Gui-Quan Sun3
1Web Sciences Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, P. R. China.
Abstract:
How does reciprocal links affect the function of real social network? Does reciprocal link and non-reciprocal link play the same role? Previous researches haven't displayed a clear picture to us until now according to the best of our knowledge. Motivated by this, in this paper, we empirically study the influence of reciprocal links in two representative real datasets, Sina Weibo and Douban. Our results demonstrate that the reciprocal links play a more important role than non-reciprocal ones in information diffusion process. In particular, not only coverage but also the speed of the information diffusion can be significantly enhanced by considering the reciprocal effect. We give some possible explanations from the perspectives of network connectivity and efficiency. This work may shed some light on the in-depth understanding and application of the reciprocal effect in directed online social networks.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Influencing Attraction IV: Reciprocity
Social Exchange Theory
Social Exchange Theory
Relationship Formation
Social Relationships and Well-Being
Homologous Recombination

