EVALUATION OF VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL SOCIAL NETWORKS, OR THE IMPACT OF INTERNET USAGE AND URBANIZATION, ON COUNTRIES' GDP
Pedro Pinheiro,
Goran D. Putnik,
Cátia Alves,
Hélio Castro,
Leonilde Varela
Abstract: In a hypercompetitive era, this paper assesses the impact of virtual and physical social networks on global economies. Thus, it assesses the correlation between the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and social networks represented by the physical concentration of humans in urban environments and the use of the Internet as a virtual space. This research examines the GDP per capita of 172 countries between 2000 and 2023. Through the use of Mean Absolute Percentual Error (MAPE) and the Weighted Least Squares (WLS), we propose a mathematical model that best fits the real GDP data. The growth of the Internet has made it possible to reduce income inequality between countries. Furthermore, the mathematical model reveals that in 2020, the World radically shifted to the virtual space, and those who did not use the Internet faced major economic challenges.
Keywords: Social networks, Virtual social networks, Physical social networks, Internet usage, impact
DOI: 10.24874/IJQR20.01-11
Recieved: 16.04.2025 Accepted: 23.10.2025 UDC:
Reads: 49 
