Difference Between Social Graph and Interest Graph

Human beings are social creatures by natures. Although some people are more social than others, even the less active one’s lookout for means to network and connect. In this age, the internet is the most common source of social networks, with countless social networking apps and platforms. As such, people no longer need to have face-to-face meetings or offer handshakes to socialize. For instance, Facebook, being the largest social networking site globally has surpassed 1 billion users. Social graphs and interest graphs are two aspects that shape the experience of social networks. Although sometimes used as synonyms, the two have differences. 

What is Social graph?

This is a representation that shows specific things in which an individual draws interest in based on the aspect that people’s interests form a major part of who they are. 

Since a social graph forms part of an individual’s identity, they can be used as indicators of interests such as what an individual may want to buy, where they want to live, whom they want to vote, interact with meet just to name a few. 

Popular with social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, it helps maintain and map out social ties. It’s also based on the theory that consumers are likely to like things that friends like.

Social graphs form business and revenue models, as popularly seen on Facebook. Advertisers can hence us personalized information to deliver compelling and meaningful ads. 

What is an Interest graph?

This is an online representation of distinct things in which a person is interested in. They are used to create a person’s interest networks on social media sites such as Facebook by organizing around a person’s interests. Amazon has also tapped into the interest graph through the recommendation engine whereby it tells a consumer what people other customers who have a similar purchase history have bought. 

Based on the intersection between the web content and the interest graph, this provides a means of personalizing the web. An accurate interest graph should, however, take into account declared interests such as interests, tagged photos and comments as well as likes. 

Importance of interest graphs

• Connect people with similar interest in a society or a social network 
• It is important in marketing as it provides audience analytics 
• It aids in behavioral profiling in marketing by targeting consumers based on interests
• Helps in product development through the use of customer interests 

Similarities between Social graph and Interest graph

• Both reshape the experience of social networks

Differences between Social graph and Interest graph

Definition

A social graph refers to a representation that shows specific things in which an individual draws interest in based on the aspect that people’s interests form a major part of who they are. On the other hand, the interest graph refers to an online representation of distinct things in which a person is interested in. 

Basis

While a social graph is based on the real identity of a person, an interest graph is based on the things a person is interested in. 

Social graph vs. Interest graph: Comparison Table

Summary of Social graph and Interest graph

A social graph refers to a representation that shows specific things in which an individual draws interest in based on the aspect that people’s interests form a major part of who they are. On the other hand, the interest graph refers to an online representation of distinct things in which a person is interested in. Despite the differences, both reshape the experience of social networks. 

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