Evolution of Social Encounters in Ad-Hoc Mobile Face-to-Face Interaction Networks

Several studies have suggested that propinquity, social, physical and psychological similarities are the major social processes required for the evolution social ties. This study attempts to understand the effect of these social processes on the creation of social encounters at different lengths of interaction. Co-location and communication sensors in mass-market mobile phones were used to capture the health-related behaviors and face-to-face interactions amongst the residents of an university dorm during the academic year of 2008-09. We examine, via empirical analysis, the impact of social factors, such as difference in life styles, physical appearance and similarities of social and cultural factors, on the likelihood of social encounters at different lengths of interactions using the automatically captured social data. Results suggest that social processes that may engender social interactions have different effects at various levels of interactions and that networks can defined by strength of interactions and not only by type (e.g. close friendships, teams).