2006

Concept

Along with popularity of SNS (Social Network Service), more people begin to develop online social network. Proper network could be beneficial; however, too complex network can pest your normal life.
To display the two sides, this project is designed to use fractals to visualize complicated online social network and its evolution from both individual and the whole SNS website perspective.This project will be embedded to a SNS website, each member there could choose a fractal (all kinds fractals will be pre-developed for selection) to represent him/her, this fractal will be set in the center of an image and all friends  fractals are connected to it. Fractals will grow, shrink or attack others according to the owner’s communication frequency and intensity and result in a continuously evolving fractals image.

Reasons to use fractals:
1. Growing process of social network is similar to the growth of fractals; both are complexity sourced from simplicity.
2. Growth and death of fractal have clear implication for the two sides of social network.
3. Variety and beauty of fractals are charming visualization element.

Realization
Both fractals grow too fast or too slow will fail to result in beautiful and health image. To avoid the whole image dying away (shrink too much or be fully filled out), a simplification scheme is introduced to save the image when it is growing too wild.
Growth Rules:

1. Grow or Shrink
Member AA adds/deletes a friend BB, AA’s fractal will grow/shrink, and BB’s fractal will appear/disappear in the image.

AA is added by BB, AA’s fractal will grow, and appear in BB’s image.

AA attend a group, fractals of all members in the group will appear in AA’s image.

AA sends private message to BB, BB’s fractal will move closer to AA’s fractal.

2. Growth Intensity
Generally, a member AA will divide friends to different groups; AA could assign different weight value for each group to show how close the relationship is. Positive value means to grow and negative one means to shrink.
There is default weight value in case AA does not want to bother setting the values.

3. Simplification Rule and Probability
When the complexity of the whole image exceeds the pre-set limit, it will have a chance to be simplified. The original success probability = 1 - number of pixels that are occupied by Central Fractal / resolution of the whole image. If the image is simplified successfully, then the probability will increase; otherwise, the probability will be reduced and since the image is still too complex, it will be simplified again according to this reduced probability.
As a result, if the image is successfully simplified once, it will get more chance to be simplified next time.

Feasibility
Many fractals can be generated by iteration algorithm, which means it is possible to control the growth of fractal. Especially Fractal Flame algorithm, which was originally developed by Scott Draves, has been fully developed and can be integrated to this project.
Language: Processing, Java
Cooperation SNS website: www.douban.com

status : design development
Fractal part : sleepy, aaajiao
Web part : Wen Jingbo, aaajiao