
Role of Familiar Strangers Overlooked in Social Networks - skmurphy
http://phys.org/news/2016-12-encounters-familiar-strangers-overlooked-role.html
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skmurphy
Key extract:

    
    
        The researchers classified human relationships into four types: in-roles 
        (who include colleagues, classmates, and others who we are acquainted with 
        and see on a regular basis), friends (those who we are acquainted with, but
        do not see regularly), strangers (those who we are neither acquainted 
        with nor see regularly), and familiar strangers (those who we see regularly 
        but are not acquainted with). The new study finds that familiar strangers 
        may play a significant role in processes such as information sharing 
        and disease spreading.

