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ABSTRACT
This study describes the evolution of the international hyperlink network. The World Wide Web is a distributed hypertext system consisting of a virtual network of content and hyperlinks with billions of interlinked pages. Since the Web has no “engineered architecture,” it can be understood as a self-organized system with a well-defined structure of linkage that implies an underlying social structure. This article examines the evolution of the Web’s emergent social structure and communication network at the level of nation-states. It reviews the literature on the international hyperlink network and then focuses on changes between 2009 and 2010 using data on the frequency of bilateral hyperlinks between nations. The article discusses special problems associated with the top-level domain .com as well as other generic top-level domains that do not refer to specific nations whose domain names refer to commercial or vanity applications.
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Notes on contributors
George A. Barnett
George A. Barnett is a distinguished professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California–Davis. His research includes international and intercultural communication, and in social networking and other communication networks—notably, the roles of international telephone and Internet communications in social and economic development, cultural change, and the process of globalization. He has served as president of the International Network of Social Network Analysis.
Han Woo Park
Han Woo Park is a professor in the Department of Media and Communication at YeungNam University in Korea. He has contributed works in the area of Link Analysis/Webometrics from the perspective of Social Network Analysis. Further, he conducts research on various issues focusing on the use of new digital technologies and the role of communication in scientific, technical, and innovative activities.
Chung Joo Chung
Chung Joo Chung is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kyungpook National University in Korea. His research areas include data science, social networks, and new media technology. His recent research focuses on Big Data, AI, and Government 3.0 from the perspective of Social Science. He has published several articles in prestigious journals.