Ant’s Behavior Leads to improvement of Social Networking
Humans and different species act very similar when it comes to social networks. One species that has mastered the art of social networking is the ant. People who are on social media today behave in the same way that ants do in their colonies. What researchers are trying to develop is an algorithm that aids in finding faster and more significant connections just the way ants do to find their food. When an ant picks up a scent of its food, it releases a certain type of chemical called a pheromone and uses this pheromone as a type of trail so other ants may pick up on it. When an ant picks up on this chemical, it too can follow the pheromone while also keeping a scent on the food too. When it is all said and done, more ants found the food source and found it faster because of this pheromone that one ant left as a trail.
By using bio mimicry, researchers have created an algorithm called SoSACO that finds the quickest path between two nodes, two different people, while not sacrificing relevant information that will help connect these two nodes. In essence, just like the way the pheromone works between connecting the ants to its food source much faster than it would without, the algorithm connects one person to another the fastest and most relevant way possible by interests between the two. This ties into Networks class because we are learning about the importance of connecting specific nodes together. An ant, for example, will connect to its food in the appurtenant way possible making that connection strong and direct. If the ant were to not go directly to the food, but rather wind around it, it would be a weak connection and would be a way that other ants would rather avoid. These connections are also evident on a human level. You would rather have a strong bond with a person you want to be friends with rather then having a friend or two in between making a weak bond and dwindling the percent of you and that person kindling a friendship. The only difference between ants and humans is one tactic is used for survival and the other one for social connection. This article is a great example of the importance of completing a connection of nodes just like in our lectures. In this day and age, people demand quicker and more substantial methods to pinpoint information. By studying the ways by which not just ants, but also other animals use peculiar social networking strategies, humans can help evolve their networks even further.
http://io9.com/5915832/how-studying-ant-behavior-can-make-social-networks-better