Abstract:

Social search is closely related to numerous research fields. First, the relationship between social search and traditional search pattern is analyzed and compared, the definition of social search is elaborated. Then, the theoretical basis of social search is introduced, the current status and key technology of social search are summarized. Finally, the new challenges of social search are analyzed, and the prospective research direction of social search is proposed. A more comprehensive and clear overview of the research area is outlined.

Key words: social search, online social networks, information retrieval, search engine