Theoretically Speaking — Mapping the Online World: Social Connectedness in the Digital Age

Abstract: As an increasing amount of social interaction moves online, we can use computational ideas to study human phenomena that were once essentially invisible to us: how our social networks are organized, how groups of people come together, and how information spreads through society. We will explore some of the things that we've learned through this computational perspective, including the role of algorithms in shaping our on-line experience, and the evolving nature of social connectedness in the digital age.

Jon Kleinberg is Tisch University Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University. His research focuses on issues at the interface of networks and information, with an emphasis on the social and information networks that underpin the Web and other on-line media. His work has been supported by an NSF Career Award, an ONR Young Investigator Award, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a Packard Foundation Fellowship, a Simons Investigator Award, a Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and grants from Facebook, Google, Yahoo!, the ARO, and the NSF. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Theoretically Speaking is a new lecture series highlighting exciting advances in theoretical computer science for a broad general audience. Events are held at the David Brower Center in Downtown Berkeley, and are free and open to the public. No special background is assumed.