Group colocation behavior in technological social networks
(Aug 8, 2014)Abstract
We analyze two large datasets from technological networks with location and
social data: user location records from an online location-based social
networking service, and anonymized telecommunications data from a European
cellphone operator, in order to investigate the differences between individual
and group behavior with respect to physical location. We discover agreements
between the two datasets: firstly, that individuals are more likely to meet
with one friend at a place they have not visited before, but tend to meet at
familiar locations when with a larger group. We also find that groups of
individuals are more likely to meet at places that their other friends have
visited, and that the type of a place strongly affects the propensity for
groups to meet there. These differences between group and solo mobility has
potential technological applications, for example, in venue recommendation in
location-based social networks.
