12/29/2023 0 Comments Two point hospital twitter![]() Simply put, does social media allow someone to truly increase their social network – or are we restricted to Dunbar’s (average) limit of 150? Some have tried to answer this question – with findings that support, refute, and expand upon Dunbar’s hypothesis.Īs an avid user of Twitter with a goal of expanding my social network and engagement with fellow physicians and academics– I’ve often wondered if I’m restricted to Dunbar’s limit - or has my academic social sphere grown beyond this?Īnd while a preponderance of data appears to suggest that indeed I probably am restricted in my meaningful social media relationships, I’ve grown to appreciate the opportunities to engage with others and believe that my knowledge and sphere-of-influence has certainly increased since becoming active on Twitter. (See figure to right.) To date, this number is colloquially known as “ Dunbar’s Number” and has been explained and used in a number of social science experiments and observations.īut what does Gore-Tex ® and “Dunbar’s Number” have to do with social media? It got me thinking about whether or not this number still applies in this day and age, when our social media feeds are filled with countless people that we are “friends” or acquaintances with. What Bill Gore had hit upon was a concept described by anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar that stated that people can only have meaningful relationships with approximately 150 people (though, my inner statistician wants to tell you that the 95% CI was 100-230). ![]() When the parking spaces were filled, the company would build another 150-employee building, and so-on, and so-forth… (This story was recently made famous in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point) The company then built buildings with a limit of 150 employees and 150 parking spaces. He found that if more than 150 employees were working together in one building, different social issues would arise. You see, Bill Gore (the company’s founder and CEO) recognized a particular number in his manufacturing plants: 150. It turns out there may be more commonality between these topics than what one might imagine. Have you ever wondered if there’s a correlation between Gore-Tex ® (Think: rain jacket material) and Social Media? No!? Well, I have…
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