The Evolution of Friendships in Chinese Online Social Networks

We study the evolution of friendships on Douban, an online social network frequently used by the youth in China. We look at several factors that can affect the evolution of friendships, such as having memberships in the same discussion groups and sharing common interests or common friends. We compare these factors in causing the formation of online friendships. Finally, we determine how Douban users' interests are influenced by their online friends' interests.