By: Carol Maxym Ph.D.
I wrote this two months ago when the scandal regarding
Facebook’s non-disclosed reasarch was making news. Like most news, it disappeared quickly
enough. I found myself taking an
unplanned sabbatical from writing and just now rediscover this not-a-blog. I think the points are still important, so
we’ll post it.
***********************
It’s all over the Internet today. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28051930 Facebook manipulating the news feed to see
if they can manipulate you. Oh, shame,
shame, shame. Facebook has shown its true
colors today. So, I’ve read some of the
commentary, and most of it is thoughtful as well as thought provoking.
However, I will simplify.
There is absolutely no way to justify Facebook’s ethical lapse. It just can’t be justified. Twist yourself into a pretzel three times
over, and there remains no way that any agreement to the Terms of Use or Privacy
Policy can include attempting to manipulate user’s emotions. I mean, for those of you who haven’t studied
psychology, there is a long and nasty history of lying to people to engage them
surreptitiously into research. Ethical
psychologists don’t do that anymore.
There just isn’t anything else that needs to be said about it.
Even more important, however, is the whole point of
psychologists wanting to do this sort of research to prove….what, exactly. To prove that if people hear happy things
they tend to be happier. I mean
really. When I see stuff like that I
think of the definition I have sometimes been forced to offer for
psychology: The study of the bleeding
obvious.
Unless (??) Facebook is hiding something else (and that
surely might be the case,,,) there is no revelation at all in the
research, If they are hiding other
intrusions into their member’s emotions, then again and again shame and more shame.
Is it worse than the emotional manipulation of advertising
and its accompanying music?
Several clients sent me links to two “studies” that were
commented on in Sunday’s New York Times.
The most important point to notice in each of the articles
is how silly they are. Have you ever heard
the adage that the coolest people in high school reached their pinnacle in high
school? Well, here is “research” to
substantiate it. Yippee???
And the other article about teens “acting crazy.” Oh, come on!
Could someone please inform the author that teens in different times and
places have acted (and do act) quite differently, so the facile conclusions
about brain development don’t really hit the mark. Perhaps that research would
benefit from a look at the context of US adolescence living in their world
before making neurological assertions.
Perhaps someone might want to consider if the soldiers who landed on
Normandy Beach only did so because they were neurologically not yet
developed. Character, courage, duty, patriotism,
caring…
So, today is a day to remember that Facebook isn’t really
your friend at all. And to notice how
empty so much psychological research really is.
There is such a thing as important psychological
research. I would hope to see more of it
discussed in the media—and discussed intelligently not as though we’ve suddenly
found a new way to slice bread.
And YAY for the mom I
met while walking today who reminded her four-year-old daughter that she must
be aware of other people as she is walking.
Well done, Mom!
What are you thinking about today?
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