Facebook data scientists tweaked the algorithm that determines which posts appear on users’ news feeds—specifically, researchers skewed the number of positive or negative terms seen by randomly selected users. Facebook then analyzed the future postings of those users over the course of a week to see if people responded with increased positivity or negativity of their own, thus answering the question of whether emotional states can be transmitted across a social network. Result: They can! ...Of course! Your limbic brain responds to everything you ponder (or imagine) by producing chemicals that cause you to FEEL the way you think. The New York City subway averages about 5 million riders a day. Imagine the shift in consciousness if subway ads were modulated, and words like Bankruptcy and Divorce were no longer priming our subconsciouses as we rode to work each morning. Id like to see a world that takes this new finding of Facebook and applies it to life beyond social networks. With a better understanding of the human mind, we are equipped to create content & design environments that prime people for their highest potential. Words, images, scents, stories — all have profound effects on our brain & body, and should be chosen wisely. In short: Turn off the news and go watch some Barney avclub/article/facebook-tinkered-users-feeds-massive-psychology-e-206324
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 18:18:10 +0000