Lateral diffusion

Lateral diffusion is the process whereby information can be spread from one node in a social network to another, often in a selective way, and can rapidly traverse an entire population, but preferentially to those nodes likely to be interested, or needing to know. In this way it has been shown that typically no more than 6 intermediaries are likely to link the most extreme chain of lateral diffusion—see six degrees of separation even worldwide. Messages or information are also subject to query and modification en route. This is in contrast to central media where one message or perspective is broadcast to a large number of people simultaneously. Thus lateral diffusion can be said to occur in lateral media. This is similar to how rumours, gossip and jokes rapidly spread. But note that each sender can be selective: a sender wouldn't necessarily tell a superior a joke he might not approve of. Senders also tend to pass on information to those who they know from personal experience would be interested or need to know.
IRG solution
This notion was one of the key ideas in "Communication and Integration within the Agriculture, Water, Waste and Energy Industries", 1980 and The IRG Solution - hierarchical incompetence and how to overcome it, in 1984, which advocated the usage of personal computers linked by the telephone network, to allow the lateral diffusion of messages and information in a selective way to those who would be interested - this is of course what occurs now in the Internet, by a Social network service.
In "The IRG Solution" it was envisaged that each person would be at the centre of an IRG - Information Routing Group, of relatively well known and trusted persons. He might exchange information with a contact in his first group.

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