Six Degrees of Separation

Six degrees of separation is a phrase deriving from the small world experiment referring to the concept that everyone is connected to everyone else in the world by only six degrees of separation, or six sets of acquaintances.

The term Six Degrees of Separation is often distored to indicate that six generations is the maximum extent to which everyone in the world is related. This has been disproved in numerous genealogy circles since six generations translates roughly to 250 years. It has been calculated, more accurately, that the maximum relationship a person living in the modern age can be to someone else, anywhere in the world, is 30-32 generations removed which is roughly 1200 years of ancestory.

Play/film

Six Degrees of Separation is also the title of a play and film written by John Guare, based on the true story of a conman who bluffed his way into Manhattan high society by claiming to be the son of a famous actor.

About the play:

Game

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a party game based on the idea and the prolific Kevin Bacon.

BambooWeb game is an online version of Six degrees using the BambooWeb encyclopedia.

Website

Six Degrees was an early social networking site based on the concept.