Recent Facebook research reveals some interesting trends on what connects people in regions of the U.S. Using 210 million Facebook profiles, Pete Warden has documented and illustrated how and on what regions and cities connect. It appears that Facebook users range from a dense, regional connectedness to a cross-country connection. The lines of connection cluster into 5 regions: Stayathomia, Dixie, Greater Texas, Nomadic West, Mormonia, Pacifica, and Socialistan. Here are some interesting trends from each FB cluster:
Stayathomia
Friends are tightly connected in this region, with New York as the exception. God tends to be low on the “top 10 fan pages” if he shows up at all. Sports and beer-related pages rank higher instead.
Dixie
This region has strong internal connections and shared values. God is almost always in the top spot on the fan pages.
Greater Texas
Dallas is the hub city for connections in this region. God shows up, but always comes in below the Dallas Cowboys for Texas proper, and other local sports teams outside the state.
Mormonia
Highly interconnected, this region is populated with LDS-related pages like Thomas S. Monson, Gordon B. Hinckley and The Book of Mormon.
Nomadic West
Shows a strong connection to distant cities like Phoenix. Starbucks is almost always the top fan page.
Socialstan
L.A. is the central city in this region, almost as connected as Greater Texas. God hardly makes an appearance on the fan pages. Michael Jackson is a favorite.
Pacifica
Tightly connected to each other, it doesn’t look like Washingtonians are big travelers compared to the rest of the West, even though a lot of them claim to need a vacation!