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We experiment on human beings
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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OKCupid the internet dating site have admitted that they have done psychological experiments on their users.
One of their 'experiments' was telling pairs of people who might have made great matches that they weren't actually good for each other, or telling people they were a match when they really weren't.
In another experiment, OKCupid ran profiles with pictures and no profile text for half of its test subjects, and vice versa for the rest. The results showed that people responded solely to the pictures. (Because we are evidently all incredibly shallow...?!) For potential daters, the OKCupid founder said that "your actual words are worth… almost nothing".
Interesting experiment... or........?
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By *bi HaiveMan
over a year ago
Forum Mod Cheeseville, Somerset |
Saw that on the BBC site earlier today.
Doesn't surprise me.
Bookface have been doing 'social experiments' for years, adult dating sites have been using fake profiles, and people will always be drawn more to images than the written word - a face is individual whereas words could have been written by anyone.
I'd be surprised if there aren't as many people who now don't give a toss about the manipulation as there are those who feel wronged.
It actually makes me chuckle that they did it!
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If we consider taht when the letters in a wrod get mixed up we tend not to notice. It seems that our brian will put thnigs in the corrcet order prvoided that the word at laest starts and ends with the correct letter.
When I first used Windows 7, it drove me mad trying to find 'My Computer' on the start menu, I just could not see it. The reason was, it had been changed from 'My Computer' to just 'Computer', all of a sudden my brain just couldn't see the word/phrase.
It seems that we are very image orientated, meaning we don't so much read words as recognise the 'image' of a word.
We often read in these forums, 'Why are people too lazy to read my profile, instead they go straight for the pictures!'
Well maybe there is more to that than meets the eye (no pun). Perhaps we are by default attracted more so to images than text. Maybe not just because its something nice to look at but maybe because our brains perceive there is more information about the person in the image?
'Are we all shallow'? Sure some people are but in the end either the object or person brings pleasure to our vision or it doesn't. Our brains will deduce either pleasure or discomfort from any of our senses, smell, taste, sound, vision
To gain pleasure or discomfort from the written word we have to take the time to read it. With an image the results tend to be instant. |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
You give your permission for these unethical experiments in the terms and conditions, buried somewhere in line 2547.
The FBook one was discussed on R4 recently.
I don't know the site but if it's one you pay for then it seems an even worse abuse.
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By *bi HaiveMan
over a year ago
Forum Mod Cheeseville, Somerset |
"What was the Facebook one?"
From The Daily Mail, 3rd July! (I don't read it - blame google! )
"The chief operating officer of Facebook has apologised for the manipulation of 700,000 users' accounts in a controversial secret study.
Sheryl Sandberg's comments were the first from a Facebook executive since it was revealed that the social network altered users' newsfeeds to see if it had an effect on their emotions.
It was also a climb down from Tuesday's insistence that it was an experiment covered by the network's terms and conditions.
It emerged at the weekend, when the experiment's results were revealed in a paper published in a journal, that Facebook allowed researchers to manipulate the content that appeared in the main section, or news feed of about 700,000 randomly selected users during a single week in January 2012.
The data-scientists were trying to collect evidence to prove their thesis that people's moods could spread like an 'emotional contagion' depending on the type of the content that they were reading.
None of the participants in the Facebook experiments were explicitly asked for their permission, though the social network's terms of use appears to allow for the company to manipulate what appears in users' news feeds however it sees fits.
Facebook's data-use policy says the California-based company can deploy user information for 'internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research and service improvement."
Glad I don't do Bookface!
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"What was the Facebook one?
From The Daily Mail, 3rd July! (I don't read it - blame google! )
"The chief operating officer of Facebook has apologised for the manipulation of 700,000 users' accounts in a controversial secret study.
Sheryl Sandberg's comments were the first from a Facebook executive since it was revealed that the social network altered users' newsfeeds to see if it had an effect on their emotions.
It was also a climb down from Tuesday's insistence that it was an experiment covered by the network's terms and conditions.
It emerged at the weekend, when the experiment's results were revealed in a paper published in a journal, that Facebook allowed researchers to manipulate the content that appeared in the main section, or news feed of about 700,000 randomly selected users during a single week in January 2012.
The data-scientists were trying to collect evidence to prove their thesis that people's moods could spread like an 'emotional contagion' depending on the type of the content that they were reading.
None of the participants in the Facebook experiments were explicitly asked for their permission, though the social network's terms of use appears to allow for the company to manipulate what appears in users' news feeds however it sees fits.
Facebook's data-use policy says the California-based company can deploy user information for 'internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research and service improvement."
Glad I don't do Bookface!
A"
You do, by proxy |
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By *bi HaiveMan
over a year ago
Forum Mod Cheeseville, Somerset |
"Blooming 'eck! "
Do you reckon it might be happening on here? 
Maybe 'Rant Thursday' isn't the natural phenomena we think it is?
Maybe all the whiny status updates appear when folk log off and then vanish when they log back in?
Maybe all the BBW/VWE/BI/reply to message threads all come from one place?
Maybe Funky doesn't actually ever log in on a Thursday and that freaky avatar is actually some over-tanned Phd student from Sydney?
Who knows?? 
A |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
"Blooming 'eck!
Do you reckon it might be happening on here?
Maybe 'Rant Thursday' isn't the natural phenomena we think it is?
Maybe all the whiny status updates appear when folk log off and then vanish when they log back in?
Maybe all the BBW/VWE/BI/reply to message threads all come from one place?
Maybe Funky doesn't actually ever log in on a Thursday and that freaky avatar is actually some over-tanned Phd student from Sydney?
Who knows??
A"
I was just about to post this.
I have thought some threads are started just to see how fast they can escalate to all out bans and 1-183 in under 5 minutes.
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By *bi HaiveMan
over a year ago
Forum Mod Cheeseville, Somerset |
"Blooming 'eck!
Do you reckon it might be happening on here?
Maybe 'Rant Thursday' isn't the natural phenomena we think it is?
Maybe all the whiny status updates appear when folk log off and then vanish when they log back in?
Maybe all the BBW/VWE/BI/reply to message threads all come from one place?
Maybe Funky doesn't actually ever log in on a Thursday and that freaky avatar is actually some over-tanned Phd student from Sydney?
Who knows??
A
I was just about to post this.
I have thought some threads are started just to see how fast they can escalate to all out bans and 1-183 in under 5 minutes.
"
I didn't post that!
Are you sure it wasn't you? 
A |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
"Blooming 'eck!
Do you reckon it might be happening on here?
Maybe 'Rant Thursday' isn't the natural phenomena we think it is?
Maybe all the whiny status updates appear when folk log off and then vanish when they log back in?
Maybe all the BBW/VWE/BI/reply to message threads all come from one place?
Maybe Funky doesn't actually ever log in on a Thursday and that freaky avatar is actually some over-tanned Phd student from Sydney?
Who knows??
A
I was just about to post this.
I have thought some threads are started just to see how fast they can escalate to all out bans and 1-183 in under 5 minutes.
I didn't post that!
Are you sure it wasn't you?
A"
I meant to say that the Thursday Deep Dark Soul Funky is the real Funky. It's the ones on the other days of the week you have to worry about.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Aren't we all experimenting on each other all the time on here ? Supermarkets etc are constantly monitoring our purchasing and has anyone actually been harmed in these experiments ? As long as no personal information is used I don't really care....but then maybe you do ? |
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By *ezebelWoman
over a year ago
North of The Wall - youll need your vest |
"
In another experiment, OKCupid ran profiles with pictures and no profile text for half of its test subjects, and vice versa for the rest. The results showed that people responded solely to the pictures. (Because we are evidently all incredibly shallow...?!) For potential daters, the OKCupid founder said that "your actual words are worth… almost nothing".
Interesting experiment... or........?
"
or... the reason why rants about 'Why oh why oh why dont people read my profile...' are pointless??
Mind you, if Id paid for this 'ere dating site Id be mighty pissed off  |
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By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago
Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound |
"
In another experiment, OKCupid ran profiles with pictures and no profile text for half of its test subjects, and vice versa for the rest. The results showed that people responded solely to the pictures. (Because we are evidently all incredibly shallow...?!) For potential daters, the OKCupid founder said that "your actual words are worth… almost nothing".
Interesting experiment... or........?
or... the reason why rants about 'Why oh why oh why dont people read my profile...' are pointless??
Mind you, if Id paid for this 'ere dating site Id be mighty pissed off "
And sue as they prevented Ms/Mr Right from contacting me.  |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"
In another experiment, OKCupid ran profiles with pictures and no profile text for half of its test subjects, and vice versa for the rest. The results showed that people responded solely to the pictures. (Because we are evidently all incredibly shallow...?!) For potential daters, the OKCupid founder said that "your actual words are worth… almost nothing".
Interesting experiment... or........?
or... the reason why rants about 'Why oh why oh why dont people read my profile...' are pointless??
Mind you, if Id paid for this 'ere dating site Id be mighty pissed off "
I'd be pissed off if I was on there too.
But as an outsider... I find it really interesting. And the Facebook one too.
It's not an experiment on here (hmm course not) but often a thread will snowball depending on who posts and what they say in the first few posts. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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This story fascinated me but the end results were hardly suprising,we like images over words and we're open to suggestion by a site we have asked to match us up with compatable people |
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We are manipulated and Id prefer it if it stopped at just being mild overt influence, rather than hidden and drastic as in this case. Especially where I pay for service I want the product to be honest and ethical. |
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