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Facebook’s Emotional Contagion
For a while now it has been well proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by scientific research (Cornell and California Universities) that there is a phenomenon called ‘emotional contagion’, meaning that it is possible to induce a state of either happiness or sadness in someone, by inducing that feeling and emotion without their knowledge or awareness.
Up until now the experiments have only been carried out in laboratories. But, now that Facebook has come clean and admitted that users of the social network were induced into feeling either positive or negative emotions in a study that they carried out on a handful of them, we have the proof that it is possible to do so on a massive scale.
Is this the future? Inducing happy and sad emotions? Will we be starting wars half-way around the world by subliminal-like induced emotions of aggression? Or will we be inducing euphoric happiness as we wish in the world of business to create a buzz and get the consumers buying once again? Even worse, could it be political exploited?
Facebook already had every bit of information that it wanted to have about us as do other social-networking sites. They knew where I went to school, who my brother is and whether I’m married or single and if I like the Red Sox’s or I root for the Democrats. But, it can do a whole lot more than that. It wasn’t enough to just see me happy and sad…they wanted to see if they could make me feel one emotion or another by influencing me. Plus, it didn’t actually take a whole lot of work to be able to do it.
Now, it has published the results of the test carried out on 689,003 Facebook users and how it influenced their home pages and what they wrote on their walls. Newsfeeds were secretly filtered according to the flow of comments, video and photo posting and web links. One part of the test exposed users to ‘positively-charged emotions’ while the other cohort ended up with ‘negative emotional content’.
The results proved: “Emotions expressed by friends, via online social networks, influence our own moods, constituting, to our knowledge, the first experimental evidence for massive-scale emotional contagion via social networks”.
Facebook had the findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in the USA this month and a Facebook spokesperson state that the reason behind carrying out such a test was the following: “to improve our services and to make the content people see on Facebook as relevant and engaging as possible”. To improve their services? Surely it has greater power than that? Surely it could be used to influence you in a political decision? Surely it could influence you into thinking that this product is great or that product is bad?
• 689,003 people participated in the study (unknown to them, of course).
• That means about 0.04% of all users in the world.
• 1 in 2,500 people.
• It took place over a period of a week in 2012.
• Emotions were reinforced by what they read and saw.
• Emotional content was filtered and the reactions of the users were monitored by researchers.
What’s worrying about the study that Facebook carried out is not so much that it was done covertly and that the people were the rats in the cages at their merciless analysis, but the fact that our emotions can be influenced by what we see , hear and read around us. It’s the fact that our state of mind can be induced and manipulated by exactly what someone decides to show us. That is the scary thing since we are no longer in control of not only what we get shown and what we look at, but now it’s the loss of emotional control that has set in thanks to damn social networking. Just how intrusive is that?
Facebook has once again over-stepped the mark of ethical behavior. It has gone over the red line of what is legal and what is not. Any human being involved in a test must by legal rights know that they test is being carried out in order to participate it in freely. Where did the notion of ‘informed consent’ in the law vanish to? What happened to the forms that should have been filled in providing consent?
We’re not guinea pigs Facebook!
It’s high time that all of this were stopped! Who wants to start?
Originally posted: Facebook’s Emotional Contagion
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Life was far from perfect 3 or 4 decades ago, but a damn improvement over today. People who had 'friends' back then actually had face to face conversations.
This central planning bullshit and using my tax dollars to support evil has to stop.
At least you have to give the 'insurgents' around the globe a little credit as they are trying to do something about it.
"Life was far from perfect 3 or 4 decades ago, but a damn improvement over today."
I dunno 'bout that. Chicks today are a lot easier than they were 3 or 4 decades ago.
Yes.
Joining ISIS will definitely cheer you up and give you a sense of purpose.
Don't forget to post your Humvee pics on FB.
Its naive to think this just started with facebook.
Hollywood and media outlets, on and off the Web are all about warping your mind without you knowing it.
ln the 80's, I knew of an outfit backed by major media, retail and technology companies that was working on porting techniques such as subliminal messaging from old media to new.
"SUBLIMINABLE" - George W. Bush
Perhaps you've heard of advertising?
Tut - Advertising at one time was not about mental manipulation and enslavement. It was about announcing an offer of goods or services for sale. Something like 'Hello! I have some fish for sale.' or ' Hello! I'll sharpen your knives.' I remember this on the streets I grew up on in America.
It goes back much further than that - at least to the beginning of moveable type.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gutenberg_Galaxy
http://www.media-studies.ca/articles/innis.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent:_The_Political_Econom...
http://andrewboyd.com/the-manufacture-of-dissent-what-the-left-can-learn...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packard
Interesting this is on ZH. If true, how much positive stuff do you read here?
Everything seems to have a negative tone about iit. I think it may be contributing to my depression and I may just quit reading this blog just to feel happier.
Political Economy
the "dismal science".
As for "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness",
some contend the best path to human happiness is to ignore any connections between the three,
and just avoid knowing or thinking about anything that could make one unhappy now.
It's all what you make of it.
At least we can be certain that this had nothing to do with any elections in 2012 or anything like that. Whew that was a close one.
They're waiting for you @ Pollyanna.com
Theme song: Blue Skies(1927)
Cotton candy clouds and lollipop dreams all around...unicorns & skittles too.
Woohoo!
Nothing but Blue Skies....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyvcC-rvsX0
Alright, we have at least one young person in the audience.
That's important.
Nah that was me(I'm 55), but I still liked that redub.
Farcebook = Nazi Sourcing Accessory
Nazis Spying on Americans
FIFY
Narcists spying on all
"Facebook has once again over-stepped the mark of ethical behavior. It has gone over the red line of what is legal and what is not. Any human being involved in a test must by legal rights know that they test is being carried out in order to participate it in freely. Where did the notion of ‘informed consent’ in the law vanish to? What happened to the forms that should have been filled in providing consent?"
Did you actually read the Terms of Service Agreement Facebook requires you to accept before using their 'service'? Trust me on this one........you gave your informed consent when you did so.
Read it from start to finish some time. You will be blown away by what you are 'consenting' to.
"Any human being involved in a test must by legal rights know that they test is being carried out in order to participate it in freely."
Well, whether you're aware of it or not, everything in life is a test. Life itself is a test to see what combinations of molecules are best suited for self-perpetuation, which in a dynamic system includes adaptation in response to change.
On a more mundane level, certain tests simply can't be conducted with the subject's knowledge as that knowledge will skew the results.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_experiment
Since I never consented to the FB 'service' there was never a need to read or electronically sign.
What do twits have to consent to, to get twatted?
Don't know because I never consented nor signed up for that 'service' either...
Actually my comment was directed towards the author of the article.
Speaking directly towards your comment, since you are not a Facebook member you were not a part of their 'test'.
BTW 'advertising' is designed to do precisely what Facebook's little 'test' did. Facebook just focused it more directly upon its 'target' audience using personal information gleaned from their members, all of which is 'Facebook's' information per their service agreement.
So should we be outraged by general advertising (TV, billboard, radio, magazine, etc) that we have not consented to receive? Advertising's sole purpose is to 'induce' emotional feelings in the recipient. The fact is that we are emotionally manipulated on a daily basis and for the most part we choose to accept it as 'normal'.
Read up on the psychology behind advertising. You will suddenly feel like an exploited lab rat.
Emotional manipulation is the reason humans can live near each other for long periods of time without constant physical violence. It is a core component of the human experience. Advertising, marketing, PR, and propaganda simply took note of an existing mechanism, and systematically perfected its use.
The author acts like he's never heard of the word "please" or the phrase "if you would be so kind". Emotional manipulation is totally ubiquitous in all aspects of human life. Marketers are just doing in a commercial setting what we already do in every other setting all the time.
People need to go back and re-read The Human Zoo, this isn't news.
"People need to go back and re-read The Human Zoo, this isn't news."
Most learning is done through repetition, the insight comes later.
I don't begrudge the repetition if it serves to inform the newly arrived. You need to hand out dots before people can connect them.
Think of ZH as a one room school house, like in the old days. First grade through sixth, we're all here together.
You helped your younger brothers and sisters with their homework, right?
Same thing.
That is why, one should look at advetising, only when you is looking to buy a particulart product. Ignore all else all the time.
Ah yes, but how do you know a particular product exists without advertising?
That aside, I find advertising far more interesting than the products and programs it supports. Of course I'm looking at it from a propagandist's point of view to see what new methods and styles are being used to attract my interest so I can innoculate myself to their effects.
https://www.adbusters.org/
Social engineering works best when the subjects aren't aware of it and you socially engineer a society from bottom up that can't critically think for themselves that can put one and one together and go oh shit you're trying to put one over on me.
(We the People's) ignorance is (social engineering) bliss.
Now you're stinkin.
I know you get it after reading that piece about Santa Claus being a training mechanism to teach people to accept lies by rewarding them with presents.
"Everything seems to have a negative tone about iit. I think it may be contributing to my depression and I may just quit reading this blog just to feel happier."
Facebook is a big waste of time ( I don't have one) and on this website we have to be selective of which articles we read. In the side bars I have Bank adds, Crude Royalties and Rich Wealthy Women wanting to date me.
I'm looking to buy a used kayak, I wonder where that thought came from?
P.S. Who is gullible enough to upload all their personal info to the internet? Even this site knows very little about me and certainly nothing personal. I did screw up picking my user name, I guess I'll change that. Well, I have to go bone a hog from Sat.
Deer Hunter
Cog said: "Read up on the psychology behind advertising. You will suddenly feel like an exploited lab rat."
I'm pretty sure you know I'm already well aware of that. As to that last sentence...
Maybe that has something to do with my bad attitude. Of course there are other factors involved as well.
I know who you were directing that towards, just felt like throwing in my two cents. Which I'm wont to do. ;)
But how do you answer the question? Should the author, or you and me, be just as outraged by the non consent given to the massive amount of advertising we are subjected to on a daily basis as he/we are over Facebook's 'test'?
I guess if the advertizing is still working and making one still desire to consume mass quantities of whatever, than I yes I guess one should be outraged.
See my post below CD. I'm reading the comments backwards and I think you are on to what I'm talking about
From your post below.
"ln the 80's, I knew of an outfit backed by major media, retail and
technology companies that was working on porting techniques such as subliminal messaging from old media to new."
Supposedly subliminal messaging has been outlawed and is no longer used. Sadly it is the ultimate in naive thinking to believe this is the case. Occasionally someone/thing is outed using subliminal messaging and it is always described as an 'accident'. There is no such thing as accidental subliminal messaging since to create subliminal messaging is a deliberate act and not something that happens accidentally.
If you lie down in a bed prepared by a dog like Zuckerberg, you'll probably get up with fleas.
Incidentally I agree with him on that one...
"What’s worrying about the study that Facebook carried out is not so much that it was done covertly and that the people were the rats in the cages at their merciless analysis, but the fact that our emotions can be influenced by what we see , hear and read around us."
??? It's called life... deal with it.
Actually, it's a form of experiment called a "human trial" and it requires IRB approval and consent.
Any academic associated with this "study" could (and should) have their credentials pulled.
If you prefer messaging to talking with someone you may already 'have it' jmvho ...
Americans are trained to passively accept constant lies and propaganda through advertising and political campaigns.
And 0bamao's f-ing speaches every f-ing day! blah blah blah
Ahh...the media trying to talk itself up again. There are so other "more direct ways" in the age of the internet.
"It's really all about Facebook!"
"Just Hang Mark Zuckerberg! Happiness!"
It really defies belief that Congress cannot even bring itself to even regulate the internet...sowing chaos everywhere, driving up stock prices (and the price of everything else?)
All I mean seriously...all that is awful and obscene is now to be observed and analyzed...predicted? Predicated?
Talk about Psycho Incorporated. "Here have some IPO hush money. Don't pay attention to how we've algo'ed your whole familial situational/response meme."
When does a message or communication become propaganda? When we look at the definition of propaganda we find it is a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.
Today a program at the White House creates a message by spinning, scrubbing, molding, and shaping it, they then send it out to the public. They often go as far as to make a, "call to action", where those listening are encouraged to push forward their agenda. This is one of the ugly realities of modern communication, the ability to send out millions of messages directly and unfiltered. We should be very concerned when this is paid for by the tax payer. More on this subject in the article below.
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2013/04/white-house-propaganda-machine.ht...
" When does a message or communication become propaganda?"
When it's bullshit.
"It isn't lying if it's all bullshit."
I care... shouldn't FB have to pay each subject at least $25 - that the usual minimum stipend for these kinds of tests.
What the fuck is Facebook ??
Seriously though, all kidding aside:
Q) What the fuck IS Facebook?!
A) the generational equivalent of the Rubik's cube. Don't worry, most of us have or are in the process of getting over it.
Hopefully, people are getting over it, but rubik's cube?
Facebook is malicious. The cube was at worst, a time waster.
I participated in some corporate leadership training recently and one of our assignments was to persuade the class to sign your petition. You had to pick a topic and make the sales pitch to the class. My petition was to ban facebook. I fully expected to get no signatures and possibly be boo-ed out of the class. When was was done with my pitch, over half the class had signed it, including the instructor. The most signatures for any topic. The tide seems to be turning a little for facebook, however, the NSA will simply replace it with something else when it finally runs its course. If you're posting or reading this forum, you already understand that.