Reddit mentions of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

Actually, statistically proven you probably have! I'm too tired to blow your mind, maybe I'll revisit this later. But check out this book, it'll blow your mind. http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Power-Social-Networks/dp/0316036145

I actually wrote a blog post about this, I REALLY need to expand upon it though: http://www.utd.alexhays.com/emac6361/2011/03/alturism-in-droves/

Its all boring already-known info to redditors, except for the last paragraph:

"I list all of these acts because it shows that kindness is a part of Reddit culture. If the first few do-gooders never existed perhaps Reddit would not have become littered with kindness. Each good dead helps sustain a culture of alturism (305). The sub-communities mentioned above were created by people who want to help others and themselves. If support systems do not exist in an individuals real-life they can now connect to supportive people online. Talking to people who are going through, or have gone through the same plight helps. Reddit admins unwittingly created a space for kind people to help each other."

The book being cited was Connected, it talks a lot about altruism spreading through networks. Essentially, if people are nice to each other in a community the chance of it happening again and again grow not exponentially, but sufficiently enough to harbor that as a trait as a major backbone. The roots of reddit being a small community of nerdy nice people helped the altruistic bug catch on, and it is still here so far.

I can identify with this. I've not studied it but I have read, and continue to pick up and put down, this book, maybe you know it.