Topological analysis of an online social network for older adults

Social network systems on the Internet, such MySpace and LinkedIn, are growing in popularity around the world. The level of such activity is now comparable to that associated with email and blogs. Our research addresses the question of whether people in different demographic groups use these systems in the same way. Older Americans tend to use email the same way as Americans in general. The usage of blogs, however, is different, with significant differences in the topological and structural patterns of post and response in blogs being evident in different demographics. We discover important information about the topological structures of online social networks by examining topological patterns in blog posts, also known as cascades. To accomplish this, we create and study the blogosphere, blog and post networks of an online social network used primarily by older adults. We also study the topological patterns of cascades in greater detail, reporting their common shapes, properties and size distribution. Our research has implications for the design of social network software for older Americans, as well as the algorithms used in search engines for such systems.