Bridging separate communities with common interest in distributed social networks through the use of social objects

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel approach using social IoT devices as mediators to connect separate communities in decentralized social networks, enhancing data dissemination among interested users.

Contribution

It proposes leveraging social IoT devices with autonomous social behaviors to bridge disconnected user communities in decentralized social networks.

Findings

Increased Interested Reachable Nodes in DOSNs

Enhanced data spreading among communities

Demonstrated advantages of social IoT integration

Abstract

In light of the growing number of user privacy violations in centralized social networks, the need to define effective platforms for decentralized online social networks (DOSNs) is deeply felt. Interesting solutions have been proposed in the past, which own the necessary mechanisms to allow users keeping control over their personal information and setting the rules to regulate the access of other users. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this type of solutions is severely reduced by the fact that different user communities with a shared interest could be disconnected/separated from each other. This translates into a reduced ability in effectively spreading data of common interest towards all interested users, as it currently happens in centralized social networks. In order to overcome the cited limitation, this paper proposes a disruptive approach, which exploits the availability of a new class of Internet of Things (IoT) devices with autonomous social behaviors and cognitive abilities. Such devices can be leveraged as friendship intermediaries between devices' owners who are connected to a DOSN platform and share the same interest. We will demonstrate that clear advantages can be achieved in terms of increased percentage of Interested Reachable Nodes (a specific measure of Delivery Ratio) in distributed social networks among humans, when enhanced with so called Mediator Objects adhering to the well-known social IoT (SIoT) paradigm.