Social information, including computer communication information, is modeled according to a network approach, and users are provided with representations of patterns within their social spaces and graphical interface tools for navigating through the spaces. This can enhance the user's ability to seek out social information and manage their online social relationships. The social mapping includes automatically collecting computer communication information relating to multiple contacts who are in computer communication with each other, one of the multiple contacts being a selected user. The computer communication information is filtered according to one or more preselected criteria to maintain the number of contacts associated with the selected user at or below a selected threshold. The computer communication information is analyzed to determine extents of similarity between the multiple contacts. A visualization of a social map based upon the extents of similarity between the multiple contacts is rendered on a computer display screen so that a user can access and navigate information represented in the social map visualization.