On how event size and interactivity affect social networks

Participating in social events or activities in the physical world is an important way for us to make new friends and build social networks. We aim to explore the role of event size and interactivity in affecting social networking behaviors. In this paper, we obtained data from an event-based social network site and conducted a quantitative analysis that reveals a relationship between online following behavior and characteristics of real-world events. We also employ behavior setting theory, social role theory, and user interview data to help us understand the quantitative results. Our finding that small events on average promote more new connections between individuals than large events has important implications for event organizers, event participants, and social media designers.