Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying users of a social-networking system whose client devices receive and transmit data by a first network element, and retrieving social graph information for each of the users. The social graph information for each user may comprise (1) a social affinity score for each relationship between the user and one of their social-graph connections and (2) an identification of a second network element to which a client system of the social-graph connection is connected. Particular embodiments may include calculating a collective social affinity score between the first network element and the second network element based at least in part on individual social affinity scores for relationships between the users and the social-graph connections, and taking action, based on the collective social affinity score, to handle data transmissions involving the first users and the second users (e.g., pre-fetching data and/or establishing additional TCP connections.