Despite the earlier claim of "Death of Distance", recent studies revealed that geographical proximity still greatly influences link formation in online social networks. However, it is unclear how physical distances are intertwined with users' online behaviors in a virtual world. We study the role of spatial dependence on a global online social network with a dyadic Logit model. Results show country-specific patterns for distance effect on probabilities to build connections. Effects are stronger when the possibility for two people to meet in person exists. Relative to weak ties, dependence on proximity is looser for strong social ties.

翻译：尽管早期存在“距离消亡”的说法，但近期研究表明，地理邻近性仍然深刻影响着在线社交网络中的连接形成。然而，物理距离如何与用户在虚拟世界中的在线行为交织尚不明确。我们采用二元Logit模型，研究了空间依赖性在一个全球在线社交网络中的作用。结果显示，距离对连接建立概率的影响呈现出国别特异性模式。当两人存在面对面相遇的可能性时，这种影响更为显著。相较于弱关系，强社会关系对邻近性的依赖程度更低。