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Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

pnas.org

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Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#21

Post by tpetricek »

tathougies wrote: post #3

This is insanity. How did this study pass an ethics council? They admit to exposing people to negative emotional cues at random? Their N is 689K. At this point, they are certainly responsible for some number of suicides. The authors should be ashamed of themselves. Their salary is being paid by manipulating people's emotions on purpose. Something is wrong with that.

There is a link to the answer right on the page under "Editorial Expression of Concern". This answers how it bypassed an ethics council: https://www.pnas.org/content/111/29/10779.1

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#22

Post by clairity »

gameswithgo wrote: post #19
clairity wrote: post #17

> "It's just that the faster mirroring, feedback and propagation of digits over atoms are generating waves rather than ripples. Beware of tsunamis." that's how the hysteria concerning corona has crashed all over our economy and social infrastructure. as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus and they're immaterially better than distancing (with masks for when you can't), but the economic and social costs (including the p…

ICU filled up fast in Houston after the lockdown ended. How does that fit with your idea here?

correlation not causation. the end of lockdown unleashed pent-up frustration and disregard for even simple yet effective distancing precautions--a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater behavior as backlash.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#23

Post by dane-pgp »

cma wrote: post #10
tathougies wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they were specifically taunting them and influencing them. They put up posts with negative emotions. If just one post caused someone to commit suicide in the negative study group, and facebook showed it to them one time more than normal, they are culpable. Given the large N value, I find it difficult to believe this didn't happen.

"Normal" is already determined by their AB testing which is already massive scale human experimentation.

I wonder at what point people will be able to say "It's not my fault, the Algorithm made me do it" and have that accepted as a valid excuse by a majority of society.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#24

Post by titzer »

clairity wrote: post #17

> "It's just that the faster mirroring, feedback and propagation of digits over atoms are generating waves rather than ripples. Beware of tsunamis." that's how the hysteria concerning corona has crashed all over our economy and social infrastructure. as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus and they're immaterially better than distancing (with masks for when you can't), but the economic and social costs (including the p…

> as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus

I wish we could be done with this absolutely false misinformation. Case in point, New Zealand is COVID free.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#26

Post by ZephyrBluu »

titzer wrote: post #24
clairity wrote: post #17

> "It's just that the faster mirroring, feedback and propagation of digits over atoms are generating waves rather than ripples. Beware of tsunamis." that's how the hysteria concerning corona has crashed all over our economy and social infrastructure. as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus and they're immaterially better than distancing (with masks for when you can't), but the economic and social costs (including the p…

> as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus I wish we could be done with this absolutely false misinformation. Case in point, New Zealand is COVID free.

Not completely, we still have a few active cases as far as I'm aware.

We also basically shut down our borders, which I don't think is that feasible for a lot of other countries.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#27

Post by generativenoise »

dane-pgp wrote: post #23
cma wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Normal" is already determined by their AB testing which is already massive scale human experimentation.

I wonder at what point people will be able to say "It's not my fault, the Algorithm made me do it" and have that accepted as a valid excuse by a majority of society.

Isn't that just the generalisation of 'it is only business' which the majority of society already accepts as a valid excuse for some pretty unethical behaviour.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#29

Post by sitkack »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #13
tathougies wrote: post #3

This is insanity. How did this study pass an ethics council? They admit to exposing people to negative emotional cues at random? Their N is 689K. At this point, they are certainly responsible for some number of suicides. The authors should be ashamed of themselves. Their salary is being paid by manipulating people's emotions on purpose. Something is wrong with that.

The issue is that they published it in a journal? Otherwise an ethics board isnt required for running an A/B test

I think that the vast majority of A/B tests are unethical.

Re: Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion thru social networks (2014)

#30

Post by titzer »

ZephyrBluu wrote: post #26
titzer wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> as in, lockdowns won't stop the virus I wish we could be done with this absolutely false misinformation. Case in point, New Zealand is COVID free.

Not completely, we still have a few active cases as far as I'm aware. We also basically shut down our borders, which I don't think is that feasible for a lot of other countries.

There have been weeks-long stretches within the past month where New Zealand has had no active cases.

Currently, there are 2, apparently new, according to this:

https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/...

This is about as close to "eliminated" as you can get; the new cases are all from incoming international travel.

This directly refutes the OP's statement that lockdowns "won't stop the virus."

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