L is for Likes
Cambridge Analytica claimed they could predict someone's personality from their Facebook likes. It was the basis of their pitch to 'micro-target' voters. But does the method work?
When two Cambridge University psychology researchers started using Facebook to do personality tests, little did they know what they would unleash. Not only could Facebook be used to administer personality questionnaires, but they discovered that people's Facebook behaviour, including their "likes", could be used to predict personality. And, they claimed, computer-based personality-based judgements are more accurate than those made by humans - better even than your partner's assessment of you. Cambridge Analytica took the idea and ran with it, claiming they could micro-target voters with bespoke messages to influence them. But now, even the firm's own data expert says that the claim is overblown. Others disagree ...
Presenter/Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Tue 12 Jun 2018 13:45大象传媒 Radio 4 FM
- Tue 29 Oct 2019 19:45大象传媒 Radio 4