What is directional relationships?

Directional relationships is a concept in personal epistemology: Some relationships have direction — A causes B is different from B causes A.

Example: On Twitter/X, following is directed: you can follow someone who does not follow you back. The relationship has an arrow — it flows from follower to followed. On Facebook, friendship is undirected: if A is friends with B, then B is necessarily friends with A. The connection has no arrow — it is mutual by definition. This single structural difference produces radically different network dynamics. Twitter's directed graph enables asymmetric influence — a person with millions of followers and zero following can broadcast without reciprocity. Facebook's undirected graph enforces mutual acknowledgment, creating denser clusters of bidirectional connection. The same people, the same devices, the same internet — but the direction (or absence of direction) in the relationship fundamentally changes the shape and behavior of the entire network.

This concept is part of Phase 13 (Relationship Mapping) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for relationship mapping.