Facebook conducted a psychological experiment on users. Specifically the research involved the manipulation of Facebook users’ News Feed. A group of researchers altered the algorithm for what shows up in the News Feed for 689,003 people. One group was shown fewer posts containing words thought to evoke positive emotions, while another group was shown fewer posts with negative words. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This study has sparked much debate. Many people are upset reporting that Facebook attempted to manipulate some people’s emotional states all in the name of science AKA market research. Researchers studied a phenomenon known as ’emotional contagion’.
I invite you to view on demand my interview on FOX Evening News Boston with anchor Sorboni Banerjee: ‘Dr. Karen Discusses Facebook Study Involving Manipulation Of News Feed’.