Geographical fragmentation of the global network of Twitter communications

Abstract

Understanding the geography of society represents a challenge for social and economic sciences. The recent availability of data from social media enables the observation of societies at a global scale. In this paper, we study the geographical structure of the Twitter communication network at the global scale. We find a complex structure where self-organized patches with clear cultural, historical, and administrative boundaries are manifested and first-world economies centralize information flows. These patches unveil world regions that are socially closer to each other with direct implications for processes of collective learning and identity creation.