1st Edition

Mobile Social Networking and Computing A Multidisciplinary Integrated Perspective

By Yufeng Wang, Jianhua Ma Copyright 2015
    416 Pages 73 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    Recent advancements in mobile device technologies are revolutionizing how we socialize, interact, and connect. By connecting the virtual community with the local environment, mobile social networks (MSNs) create the opportunity for a multitude of new personalized services for mobile users. Along with that comes the need for new paradigms, mechanisms, and techniques with the capacity to autonomously manage their functioning and evolution.

    Currently, most books about mobile networks focus mainly on the technical point of view. Mobile Social Networking and Computing: A Multidisciplinary Integrated Perspective not only addresses the theoretical aspects of MSN and computing, but also introduces and categorizes existing applications. It supplies a multidisciplinary perspective that considers the technology, economics, social sciences, and psychology behind MSNs.

    In addition to fundamental theory, the book investigates the practical issues in MSN, including characteristics, inner structural relationship, incentive mechanisms, resource allocating, information diffusion, search, ranking, privacy, trust, and reputation. Introducing recently developed technologies, modes, and models, the book provides two distinct (but related) viewpoints about MSN applications: socially inspired networking technology and networking technology that uses recent advancements to enhance quality of life.

    The text illustrates the interaction between the macrolevel structure and the local rational behaviors (microlevel) in MSN. It summarizes currently available MSN development platforms, including Android and iOS, and introduces and categorizes existing applications related to MSN and computing.

    Both location-based service (LBS) and mobile social networks in proximity (MSNPs) are presented in a comprehensive manner. Highlighting key research opportunities, this much-needed reference outlines incentive mechanisms inspired by classical economics, behavioral economics, and social psychology, and, perhaps for the first time, it presents a summary of the economic and business models of MSNs.

    MSN BASIC CONCEPTS, APPLICATIONS, AND CHALLENGES

    Introduction to Mobile Social Networking and Computing
    Introduction
    Research and Application Framework of MSNs
    Structure and Interaction Perspective about MSNs
         Multidimensional Structure—Economic and Social Characteristics of MSNs
         Evolutionary Interaction
    MSN from an Application Perspective 
         Socially Inspired Mobile Networking
         Enhanced Social Life with Mobile Technologies
    Fundamental Issues
         Incentive Mechanisms
         Trust and Reputation
         Identity Management and Privacy
         Location Technologies and Energy Efficiency
         HCI Issues
    Conclusion
    References

    FUNDAMENTAL THEORY AND KEY PROBLEMS IN MSNs

    Multidimensional (Temporal–Spatio–Social) Structural Characteristics of Mobile Social Networks
    Introduction
    Background on Static Social Network Characteristics and Measurements
         Degree Distribution
         Characteristic Path Length
         Clustering Coefficient
         Network Efficiency, E(G)
         Small-World Behavior
         Centrality
         Degree Centrality
         Closeness Centrality
         Betweenness Centrality
         Eigenvector Centrality
    Characterizing Time-Varying MSNs
         Classifying Temporal Information
         Static versus Temporal Analysis
         Evolving versus Temporal Networks
         Formalism in TVGs
         Journeys and Related Temporal Concepts
         Temporal Betweenness Centrality
         Temporal Closeness Centrality
         Temporal Eigenvector Centrality
         Small-World Properties in Temporal Social Network
         An Incarnation of TVG Framework
    Spatiosocial Characteristics of MSNs
         Node Locality
         Geographic Clustering Coefficient
    Conclusion
    References

    User Behaviors and Interaction in MSNs
    Introduction
    Measuring and Characterizing User Interaction in MSNs
         Methodology of Measuring Users’ Behaviors and Interactions
              Crowdsourcing-Based Measurement Architecture
              Experience Sampling Method for MSNs
         Various Features of Interactions in MSNs
              Connectivity and Interaction in Social Network
              Traffic Activities in Social Networks
              Locality of Interest and Navigation Characteristics
         Prediction of User Behavior in MSNs
              Prediction of User’s Future Activity Level
              Geographical Prediction in MSN/OSN
    Modeling User Interactions in MSNs
         Multidimensional Characterizing of Human Mobility in MSNs
         An Integrated Behavior Model in MSNs
              Edge Creation
              Social Triadic Closure
              Triangle-Closing Models
              Mobility-Driven Closure
              Temporal Evolution
              Putting It All Together: New Models Emerging
    Motivating User Interaction in MSNs
    Conclusion
    References

    Incentive Mechanisms in Mobile Social Networks
    Introduction
    Basic Concepts about Motivation Theories
         Motivation Approaches
              Economic View of Motivation: Example Design and Challenges
              Some Challenges in an Economic View of Motivation
              Behavioral Economics View of Motivation
         Motivation Theory from Psychology
         Future Trends
              Exploring Designs of Mechanisms Inspired by Theories of Motivation
              Personalized Incentive Mechanism Design
    Typical Incentive Schemes in MSNs
    Mobile Crowdsourcing Sensing in MSNs
    Conclusion and Future Directions
    References

    Information Diffusion in Mobile Social Networks
    Introduction
    Information Diffusion Models
         General Threshold Model
         General Cascade Model
         Game Theory–Based Diffusion Model 5.3 Influence Maximization Problem
         Definition
         Existing Algorithms in Influence Maximization
              Greedy-Based Algorithms
              Heuristic Schemes
         Distributed Realization of Influence Maximization in MSNs
              Basic Concepts about Random Walk
              The Process of Distributed iWander Protocol Inspired by Random Walk
              The Evaluation of iWander
    Extensions to Influence Maximization
         Budget and Cost in Information Diffusion
         Competitive Information Diffusion
         Time-Critical Influence Maximization
    Conclusion
    References

    Mobile Search and Ranking
    Introduction
    Some Challenges of Search and Ranking in MSNs
         Technological Factors
         Socioeconomic Factors
    Existing Schemes of Search and Ranking in MSNs
         A Preference-Enabled Querying Mechanism
              Related Work
              Architecture and Components
         Social Search Browser
              SSB Prototype
              Mobile Application
              Interactive Filters
              Query Details and Answers
         Social Network Document Ranking
              Multilevel Actor Similarity 
              Implementation of Social Network Document Rank
         Mobile Decentralized Search
              Mobile Search and SMS
              Traditional Design of the iTrust Search and Retrieval System
              Search and Retrieval for iTrust over SMS
              Performance Evaluation of iTrust
    Conclusion
    References

    Energy-Efficient Mechanisms in Mobile Social Networks
    Introduction
    Energy Efficiency on Location Technology
         Energy Efficiency on Outdoor Location Technologies
         Energy Efficiency on Indoor Location Technologies
    The Underlying Networking Technology
         Power Saving Mechanisms for Mobile Stations
         Adaptive Power Saving Mechanism for 802.16e
         Power Saving Mechanism for Wi-Fi Direct
              Opportunistic Power Save
              Notice of Absence Protocol
         Energy Efficiency on Bluetooth
    Energy Efficiency on Mobile User Context
         Sensors for Detecting User Context
              Ambient Light Sensor
              Proximity Sensor
              Global Positioning System
              Accelerometer
              Compass
              Gyros
              A New Sensor—Back-Illuminated Sensor
         User Context
         Context-Aware Services
         Sensor PM
    Application and Architecture Features
         Energy-Efficient File Sharing
         Collaborative Downloading
    Developers and Users
    Conclusion
    References

    Privacy, Trust, and Reputation in Mobile Networking and Computing
    Privacy
         Introduction
         Architecture and Classification of MSNs
              Centralized MSNs
              Distributed MSNs
              Hybrid MSNs
         Privacy Leakage Information in MSNs
         Privacy Protection Classification
              Obfuscation
              Private Matching
              Location Privacy
              Communication Privacy
         Future Directions
         Conclusion
    Trust and Reputation
         Introduction
         Fundamentals of Trust and Reputation
              Definition of Trust in MSNs
              Trust System Classification
              Definition of Reputation in MSNs
              Reputation System Classification
         Challenges and Attacks for Trust and Reputation Systems
              Playbooks
              Unfair Ratings
              Discrimination
              Collusion
              Proliferation
              Reputation Lag Exploitation
              Reentry
              Value Imbalance Exploitation
         Typical Trust and Reputation Systems
              Peer-to-Peer Multidimensional Trust Model
              DEco Arch
              TRAVOS
              Measuring Trustworthiness Using a Personalized Approach
    Conclusion
    References

    Economic and Business Models in Mobile Social Networks
    Introduction
    Economic Characteristics of MSNs
         Mobility
         Network Externalities
         Long Tail
    Present Business Models of MSNs
         Theories about Mobile Business Models
              Business Model Components
              Design Issues
         Revenue Models of MSNs
              Advertising
              Subscription
              Transaction-Based Fee
         Specific Issues
              Activeness
              Identity
              Copyright
              Mobility
              Trust
    Analyzing MSN Business Models Based on Two-Sided Market Theory
         Definitions of Two-Sided Market
         The Model and Analysis
              Platform Monopoly
              Platform Duopoly
    Conclusion
    References

    APPLICATIONS OF MSN

    Socially Inspired Mobile Networking
    Introduction
    Human Mobility Traces and Models
         Data Collection Techniques
         Real Human Mobility Traces
              Reality Mining Trace
              Cambridge Trace
         Human Mobility Models
    Social-Based Routing Protocols in Delay-Tolerant Networks
         A Survey of Social-Based Routing Protocols
              Label Routing
              SimBet Routing
              BUBBLE Rap Forwarding
              Social-Based Multicasting
              Friendship-Based Routing
              Give2Get
              Tit-for-Tat
              Social Selfishness Aware Routing 
         Comparisons of Social-Based Routing Protocols
         A Typical Social-Based Routing Protocol
              Analysis of Node Relations
              Friendship Community Formation
              Forwarding Strategy
    Conclusion and Future Work
    References

    Location-Based Services
    Introduction
    Positioning Technologies and Assessment
         Positioning Technologies
              Outdoor Technologies
              Indoor Technologies (Indoor Localization Techniques)
         Performance Assessment of Outdoor Technologies
    Categories and Characteristics of LBSs
         Categories of LBSs
         Characteristics of LBSs
    Architecture and Typical Applications of LBSs
         Architecture of LBSs
              Components Needed to Deliver LBSs
              Common LBS Architecture
         Requirements of LBS Architecture
         Typical LBS Applications
              Foursquare
              Sindbad
    Challenges for LBSs
         User Privacy
         Interoperability
         Accuracy and Reliability
         Information Availability
         Adaptation
         Legal, Ethical, and Social Challenges
    Conclusion
    References

    Mobile Social Networking in Proximity
    Introduction
    MSNP-Related Applications
         Mobile Social Network
         Mobile P2P
         Opportunistic Network
         Several Initiatives of MSNP
              PeerDeviceNet
              AllJoyn
         Summary of MSN(P) Approaches
    Special Characteristics and Challenges of MSNPs
         Special Characteristics of MSNPs
         Open Issues
              Mobility
              Naming and Messaging Mechanism
              Peer and Service Discovery
              Incentive Mechanism
              Openness
              Security, Trust, and Privacy
    Design Architecture of MSNP Platform
    Conclusion
    References

    MSN APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

    Mobile Social Networking Development Platforms and Examples
    Introduction
    Overview of Mobile Platform
         Mobile Devices
         Mobile OSs
         MSN Development Platform Architecture
    Analysis of MSN Design
         Mobile App Background
         Android and iOS Overview
              Android
              iOS
              Comparison of Android and iOS from Viewpoint of Developers
         Introduction to Mobile Development: Android and iOS as Examples
              Considerations in Mobile Development
              iOS Considerations
              Android Considerations
              Process of Mobile Development
    Cross-Platform Mobile Applications Development
         Overview of Cross-Platform Development
         Requirements and Architecture of a Cross-Platform Framework
         Comparison of Cross-Platform Mobile Development Tools
    A Simple MSN Platform Development Example
    Conclusion
    References

    Index

    Biography

    Yufeng Wang received his doctoral degree from the State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), China, in July 2004. From July 2006 to April 2007, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Kyushu University, Japan. In May 2007, he became an associate professor at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPT), China. From February 2008 to March 2011, he was an expert researcher at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan. Since 2013, he has been a full professor at NUPT and is also a guest researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Networking and Switching Technology and at the Media Lab at Waseda University, Japan. Professor Wang’s research interests include multidisciplinary inspired research on networking and systems, specifically new generation networks, peer-to-peer (P2P), wireless ad hoc network and sensor networks, trust and reputation systems, and mobile social networking and computing.

    Dr. Wang has published more than 40 academic papers in journals and conference proceedings and has organized two special issues on multidisciplinary networks and systems for the Telecommunication Systems Journal and the Journal of Computer and System Sciences.

    Jianhua Ma received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication systems from the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China, in 1982 and 1985, respectively. In 1990, he received his doctoral degree in information engineering from Xidian University, China. He has been on the faculty of Hosei University, Japan, since 2000. Presently, he is a professor of computer and information sciences in the Digital Media Department. Prior to joining Hosei University, Dr. Ma had 15 years of teaching and/or research experience at NUDT, Xidian University, and the University of Aizu, Japan.

    Dr. Ma’s main research interest is ubiquitous computing, especially devoted to what he calls "smart worlds" filled with smart/intelligent ubiquitous things, or u-things, including three kinds of essential elements: smart objects, smart spaces/ hyperspaces, and smart systems. These are based on his vision for the future: ubiquitous intelligence (UI, u-intelligence) or pervasive intelligence (PI), solving the crucial problems caused by intelligence pervasion due to the fast progress of semiconductors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), sensors, radio frequency identifications (RFIDs), embedded devices, ubiquitous computers, pervasive networks, universal services, and so forth.

    Dr. Ma is a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He has edited 10 books/proceedings and has published more than 180 academic papers in journals, books, and conference proceedings. He has delivered more than 10 keynote speeches at international conferences, and he has given invited talks at more than 30 universities/institutes. (More detailed information about Prof. Jianhua Ma can be found at http://cis.k.hosei.ac.jp/~jianhua.)