Is there any way to get the social events to happen more often?

I'm pretty close to the end of the game and am trying to complete challenges.

All three of the social challenges are still open, and all three at 2 apiece. On a different person's account, I saw all three completed before they got into the third sequence but I can't seem to find Royal Convoys, White Whales, or Community/Social Chests to save my life.

It's gotten to the point where I'm wondering if it has something to do with my friends who also play ACIV or something because I can't seem to get anywhere with it.

Solution 1:

You can locate convoys by talking to bartenders and paying for info. I either get a location for a convoy or for a cadaver which then has a cool item on him like a treasure map. Some bars have given me info more than once when I come back at a later time. If the bartender "glows" when you look at him, he has info! I read that the white whale shows up randomly when you are playing while on line. I check my fleet and stay connected. Check your map frequently and look for a whale icon that is glowing light blue, then get there quick! When it happened for me, there was a clock running, so if I didn't get there on time, he would have been gone.