Cambridge University has devised a statistical model that can
apparently work out people's sexual orientation, religious beliefs,
political views, IQ level and even drug use, with a high degree of
accuracy, just by analysing their Facebook likes. Like Harley Davidson
motorbikes? Then you have a low IQ. Jennifer Lopez? You're an extrovert.
Wicked the Musical? If you're a man, you must be gay. Every time you
click the thumbs-up button on Facebook, you are apparently revealing a
bit more about yourself, information that faceless corporations can use
to target you with advertising and unscrupulous governments could use to
persecute you. As one privacy campaigner has warned: "We need to
fundamentally re-think how much data we are voluntarily sharing."That sort of reaction is inevitable, given how many people worldwide
use Facebook (one billion on the last count), but should we really be
concerned we're in the clutches of an invisible puppet master? I don't
think so.
This latest research is both unsurprising and nonsensical. It should
come as no surprise to anyone that indicating their likes and dislikes
on Facebook helps others to form an idea about who they are. We all
share information about ourselves all the time, from the way we dress to
the way we talk to our likes and interests, as a way of projecting
ourselves. We do it without thinking about it. A woman sitting in a cafe
with her hair in dreadlocks, wearing ethnic clothes and reading Sylvia
Plath, is unlikely to be mistaken for a stalwart of the local
Conservative Association, and probably wouldn't want to be.
This post was written by: Author Name
Your description comes here!
Get Free Email Updates to your Inbox!
Post a Comment