Studies of social networks and online communities have largely fallen into the realm of sociology. As networks have been visualized through spider-graphs and quantitatively analyzed for reflections on our larger society, the spatiality of these networks is an area under-explored by geographers.
While the internet provides the potential to connect with others ubiquitously across the globe, there are large barriers to these connections. Online social networks demonstrate the linkages among individuals which can be used to interpret their social behavior over space. However, the digital divide and homophily embedded into our social networks implies we are more likely to connect with individuals who we already know or already share certain interests and commonalities with regardless of Cartesian distance.