Theories relating to networking - Connection

On reading 'Connectivism - A learning theory for a digital age' this quote came up:

“nodes always compete for connections because links represent survival in an interconnected world” Albert - Laszlo Barabasi

If we change the words around to suit our industry it might look a bit like this:

'Performers always compete for connections because having these links means getting a job in this industry'

Connection is so powerful, especially in the arts industry.  Reading this research made me think about 'The Six Degrees of Separation' which I found to be a very interesting theory.

The theory was first proposed by Frigyes Karinthy who wrote a story called 'Chains' which kickstarted the theory. Then Stanley Milgram found a way to prove the theory.  In short, the theory means we are all connected to anyone else in the world by just 6 stages.  To help you understand and see Milgrams experiment explained I have posted two links that helped me.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/six-degrees-of-separation

http://www.sciencealert.com/are-we-all-really-connected-by-just-six-degrees-of-separation (A good video explaining the theory)

So, what I am trying to say is that if there is six degrees of separation in the world, then think about how many there will be in our small arts industry.  The more people you can connect with in this industry then the more likely your network is going to expand.  

Equally, it is important to not dismiss someone from your network, as you have potentially just cut off another 20 people!