Abstract
Human activity follows a circadian rhythm. In online activity, this rhythm is visible both at the level of individuals as well as at the population level from Wikipedia edits to mobile telephone calls. However, much less is known about circadian patterns at the level of network structure, that is, beyond the day-night cycle of the frequency of activity. Here, we study how the temporal connectivity of communication networks changes through the day, focusing on sequences of communication events that follow one another within a limited time. Such sequences can be thought to be characteristic of information transfer in the network. We find that temporal connectivity also follows a circadian rhythm, where at night a larger fraction of contacts is associated with such sequences and where contacts appear more independent at daytime. This result points out that temporal networks show richer variation in time than what has been known thus far.
Highlights
The dynamics of social systems and population-level behavioral patterns emerge from the behavior of individuals
We find that temporal connectivity follows a circadian rhythm, where at night a larger fraction of contacts is associated with such sequences and where contacts appear more independent at daytime
We show that in mobile telephone communication, the fraction of t-triggered events shows a clear circadian pattern, where they are more frequent at night than expected. t-connected subgraphs show a similar variation with respect to their expected size
Summary
The dynamics of social systems and population-level behavioral patterns emerge from the behavior of individuals. While the emergence of certain social-network features, such as the abundance of triangles, is well understood, the picture is far less clear when the temporal dimension is included in the picture. We focus on one prominent temporal feature of social activity: circadian patterns in communication. Mobile telephone data hint that our social behavior might be different at day and at night: often, peoples’ communication narrows down to selected, specific others at the later hours.. Mobile telephone data hint that our social behavior might be different at day and at night: often, peoples’ communication narrows down to selected, specific others at the later hours.3 Beyond this picture of individual behavior, not much is known beyond the obvious circadian rhythms in the overall frequency of online activity Circadian patterns in mobile phone use have been shown to be strong enough that data recorded with tracking apps allow one to determine the so-called chronotypes of individual people (their morningness or eveningness). Mobile telephone data hint that our social behavior might be different at day and at night: often, peoples’ communication narrows down to selected, specific others at the later hours. beyond this picture of individual behavior, not much is known beyond the obvious circadian rhythms in the overall frequency of online activity (see, e.g., Refs. 1, 2, 5 and 6)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
