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ONE OF THE co-authors behind Facebook’s experiment to alter the content of some users’ news feeds to study emotional contagion has apologised for the anxiety caused by the experiment
Facebook data scientist Adam Kramer, posted an explanation behind the research and said that “having written and designed this experiment myself, I can tell you that our goal was never to upset anyone.”
Kramer said that the goal of the study was to see how much of an emotional impact people posting positive content has on others, mainly whether they experience negative feeling or believe they’re left out.
The reason we did this research is because we care about the emotional impact of Facebook and the people that use our product. We felt that it was important to investigate the common worry that seeing friends post positive content leads to people feeling negative or left out. At the same time, we were concerned that exposure to friends’ negativity might lead people to avoid visiting Facebook. We didn’t clearly state our motivations in the paper.
The study, which was carried out over one week in 2012 and affected 0.04%, or 700,000 of users, found that, contrary to expectation, when users see a certain kind of emotion, it encourages it rather than suppresses it.
The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with Facebook, Cornell University and the University of California at San Francisco and appeared in the 17 June edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers have condemned the study saying that it breached ethical guidelines since it didn’t allow users to decide if they wanted to take part in the study.
Kramer said that he could understand why some people would have concerns about the paper and that both himself and his co-authors were “very sorry for the way the paper described the research and any anxiety it caused.
“In hindsight, the research benefits of the paper may not have justified all of this anxiety,” he said.
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Dense drivers ain’t gonna help either.
Heavy fog on way to work. Of the 100s of cars I saw only 2 had fog lights on. Talk about dense – in every sense of the word!
@Patrice Ahern: I Hope they turn them off when fog has lifted
@Philip Murphy: that’s the problem, some don’t. You regularly see some thickos have their front fog lights on 24/7, no matter the weather. Maybe they think it makes them look ‘brighter’ (I’ll get my coat) in
@Patrice Ahern: If you can see the cars ahead without the foglights, foglights are not needed. It’s really dense to use foglights on bumper to bumper traffic blinding everybody behind you where you can see the queue ahead anyway.
@Sami Hentunen: Correct, fog lights should be used like full headlights, turn them on and off as required but that won’t happen…
@Patrice Ahern: I’d hazard a guess they weren’t driving any slower than usual either.
Never mind the fog it’s an ice rink in Navan, move over ice man of 2010…. there is a new kid in town….me lol ouch
No fog here in West Cork and all Priority 1 and Priority 2 roads gritted. Well done to Cork Co. Co!!
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: How did Cork Co Co get rid of the fog? Please let us know, don’t be keeping all the secrets in Cork
@Denis Conroy: Maybe they sold it on eBay?
My favourite part of the article was tonight is described as “very cold” by met eireann .. just had a vision of fr ted talking to dougal
I live in Dublin and there was no fog or frost this morning
@Gerry R: Good job you told us!
@Gerry R: the sea breeze rose the coastal temperature above freezing
This is the time they won’t turn on their fog lights.
Everyday is a fog day in my head.
Tipping minus 8 for last few nights in w cork. Just about made 2degrees for an hour and heading south again. The light showers today will make roads lethal by 8pm. For God’s sake stay at home and only travel for emergency. Your worth it.
I’m working from home tomorrow, thank god. I almost broke my neck on numerous occasions this morning.
@Gavin Gray: Slow down my man,there’s no need to go at break neck speed.
@Gavin Gray: Get ice grips at least, it’s lethal underfoot without them.
@F Fitzgerald: Hi FF,good to see ya again. Well,that broke the ice
You wouldn’t be long getting frost bit.
Coldplay. It was all yellow.
jaysus it’s called winter.. natin to do with klimaat change..
Children in Gaza sleeping in DIY tents. How cold is that? israel
@Barry Williams. Those sheep are cold, the one’s over there are far far colder.
@P. V. Aglue: It’s nice to have a happy ewe near
Snowing in my part of Wexford now… 0145
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