Who knows you better than anyone? Facebook, of course. In a recent study of more than 17,000 Facebook users, researchers compared the results of a personality survey completed by study participants’ family and friends to a computer analysis of the participants’ Facebook likes. The computer blew family and friends out of the water.
After 10 likes, the computer could better predict personality than a coworker; after 70 likes, the computer outperformed a friend or a roommate; after 150 likes, the computer was more accurate than a family member; and after 300 likes, even a spouse couldn’t beat Facebook.
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Like any new technology, the widespread analysis of Facebook likes could have negative implications, too. While Kosinski cautions against fear mongering, he also acknowledges that hyper-accurate predictions based on publicly available information poses privacy concerns, especially if those algorithms can predict sexual orientation, political or religious views.
“Our democracy, our Western civilization, is based on the idea that you have a right to not share the information about your religion. This is one of the bases of religious freedom,” Kosinski says. “But now it just becomes accessible to anyone using your web browsing history or your credit card records. There’s definitely an issue there.”
