The role of distance in online social networks: A case study of urban residents in Nanjing, China

Highly advanced information and communication technologies have reshaped the common ways urban residents interact with each other. With the widespread use of online social networking websites, research interest in the evolving spatial concepts (such as distance) in new digital age has grown exponentially. Data collected by Sina microbloggers from adult residents in Nanjing, China reveal that urban residents not only are more likely to build relationships with local and acquaintance users but also to interact with them more frequently. In other words, spatial and relational distances that play important roles in traditional Chinese social networks also exist in contemporary online social networks. Furthermore, our regression analysis reveals how the roles of spatial and relational distances in the online social networks of urban residents relate to the context of urban transformation in contemporary China. The findings contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the effects of informatisation and urban transformation on the social networks of urban residents.