fuchsbau

"To him that hath shall be given." - from Matthew, the Bible

In a system that runs a preferential attachment process, a new connection has a tendency to connect with already well-connected connections. Over time, a small number of hubs - clusters of well-connected connections - dominate the system.

This is how the world works. Some startup hubs, financial centres and touristic hotspots have been able to expand their dominance for decades. The same happens on a smaller scale in corporations, parties and other entities. One reason this happens is autocatalysis: Complex processes cause reactions that sustain and re-trigger the network. Outside of those hubs, the chain reactions fail to materialise or fizzle out from a lack of energy.

As a consequence, the hardest part is the beginning.