The evolution of online social networks

Recent developments in Internet and Web technologies, such as the high penetration and proliferation of online social networks, online gaming platforms, blogs, and instant messaging services in many aspects of human life, have generated a new wave of interest in the field of sociology in general and in the study of social networks in particular. Two key methods for conducting quantitative and analytical research in social networks and interactions at large scales are Web-based experiments and computerized online data acquisition. The Sharing-Mart system provides the opportunity to examine several different sociological complex problems, but it also offers the ability to investigate different configurations for designing auctions such as single winner and multi-winner package auctions. Incentive compatibility is an important feature of Sharing-Mart auctions since it induces all bidders to bid only once with their true values to buy content in the Sharing-Mart ecosystem.