I first heard about the concept “six degrees of separation” when I was in high school, and it was brought up exclusively to show how closely connected with celebrities everyone in my friend group was. The conversation actually blew my mind, the idea that all 7.8 billion of us on this planet are so closely connected is an incredibly unexpected reminder of how small the world really is. Since that first conversation, this idea has been in the back of my mind and, over two years later, has been brought back to the front of my mind after a conversation with some friends of mine.
Basically, a friend of mine sent a message to our group chat saying that a friend of hers from one area of her life was dating a guy from another area. This isn’t the best example of how the six degrees of separation work, but it was enough of a crazy connection that the six degrees concept immediately presented itself as relevant. So what exactly is the six degrees of separation?
The concept is a bit difficult for me to explain concisely, but is essentially the idea that everyone on Earth is connected to the extent of about six people (degrees). What this means is that, with the right connections, I am only about six people away from having an actual connection with Timothée Chalamet (and if you are one of the people who can put me in touch with him, please do). But that’s probably not enough information to really understand how it really works, so I employed Google to help me find some better information and I found this amazing article on The Cut by Thomas MacMillian.
“The Classic Study That Showed the World Is Smaller Than You Think” does an extensive deep-dive into the origins and merits of the six degrees beginning with experiments done by Stanley Milgram and going on to bring up some points that are increasingly relevant in these weird, socially-distant times. One thing that I think people have failed or been unable to realize is that the need for social distancing stems completely from the fact that the entire world is so closely connected and every single person we come into contact with has connections with other people. The fact that Covid-19 has spread so fast is because of how connected the world is, and the smallest get-togethers have bigger implications when everyone separates and interacts with others. Knowing about the six degrees of separation can be really helpful with understanding how your actions effect a larger scale as well as being able to understand that 7.8 billion really isn’t that many people when we’re all connected in a very simple way.
The six degrees of separation isn’t only relevant to social distancing matters though, it is also very valuable to understanding the importance of networking. As I try to work my way into the fashion industry, I’ve learned that who you know can really be helpful for, at the very least, getting your foot in the door. When I told one of my friends in Tanzania that I’m interested in working in the fashion industry, she told me Herieth Paul (a Tanzanian model who has walked for Tom Ford and Diane von Fürstenberg, among others) is a long-time family friend. When one of my dad’s friends discovered I was going to be studying to work in the fashion industry, she was excited to tell me her niece works for Diane von Fürstenberg in NYC. Even my grandma has sent me messages about how her friends have grandchildren who have modelled for brands like Louis Vuitton. All of these are connections I have made without explicitly making an effort to network, therefore making me wonder what sort of connections I could be making if I was to put more energy into networking.
Really, I just think the six degrees of separation is a cool concept for everyone to know about because it actually effects everyone. It’s a brilliant reminder of how connected the world actually is and also how close you are to contacting the right person to helping you achieve whatever goals you have.
Mia Leff 