The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Social networking takes
up a big portion of our time, as a way to remain connected to what’s happening in
our social circles, keeping up with friends and sharing what we are doing and
thinking with others. According to Nicholas A. Christakis and James H.
Fowler, the authors of Connected, our social networking has a much
deeper effect on our lives, which many of us may not be aware of.

Nicholas Christakis
and James H. Fowler are both professors at Harvard University who have broken down
the complexity of social networks and the virtual world that we are becoming more
involved in as one of the most complicated and consequential networks in the
universe.

Connected is more than another research
study; the reader doesn’t get showered with numbers and statistics, and while
those elements are important in the academic business, they often get
ignored by the average reader. Charts and diagrams are still present in the
book; but they act as convincing tools that aren’t at all boring.      

The authors also use
stories, some are real-life examples from the present and others from cultural
backgrounds and folklore, proving that the idea of social networks isn’t at all
a novelty of the new world; in their wider sense, social
networks have existed since the beginning of time.

However, this reviewer
felt Connected to be exaggerating in certain parts. Maybe it’s how the authors go to great lengths to explain how
someone’s suicide can inspire the son of his friend’s friend to think of doing
the same, or how your mom’s best friend’s husband’s weight gain can result in your
own weight gain. Although they have research study results to
back up their claims, when applied to our actual personal lives, it’s easy to
feel sceptical.

Connected dives into the nature of human beings and argues that our behaviour depends to a certain degree
on that of others surrounding us, or even on the people around those surrounding us.

Connected is a good read that gives interesting insight without
being too heavy. It may or may not have you look at your relationships in a new light and question if you’ve been unconsciously influenced
by people in your social network. Nonetheless, it’s an informative and
entertaining read.