Facebook's Experiments: Not the Evil You Think It Is

            Much has been said of the Facebook experiments that were conducted on the news feeds of hundreds of thousands of accounts. Most news reporters have vilified Facebook for committing this apparent act of “intrusion” even though it is their sight. In reality, all Facebook did was test what posts garnered the most attention to get people to stay on the site longer. In my opinion, it’s much less horrifying than when pop-up ads flood your screen to keep you from exiting a page.

            Facebook is attempting to get its users to stay on for longer, which is the goal of any major website. Analysts on television have repeatedly remarked that “Facebook serves the advertisers!” as if it was a previously unknown secret. The truth of the matter is that we know Facebook can be better in many ways. But it is pretty damn good for what we use it for. Any user can adjust their news feed to get different items. If I want to see more shared links and fewer likes, I can. Perhaps what is really passing over the minds of most news analysts is that Facebook did this experiment and changed the news feeds to give people more of what they want. So is it really so bad?

            Another major issue I have had with the criticism of Facebook is that is has primarily the older generations which have had their say on the issue and these news reporters have rarely brought in people in their 20’s or lower. It should be of no surprise that the older generations are more likely to look down on Facebook as a distraction from “real life” and a manipulator rather than as a website that caters to the desires of the consumer.

            So what is my issue with Facebook? I don’t want all of my shopping information popping up around Facebook and vice versa. Just because I like a certain athlete does not mean I want to buy his jersey for $300. Although, I see that for other people this relationship between Facebook and marketing can be advantageous.

            I like Facebook. I use it often and there is little else that could replace it. If my news feed was experimented on, I don’t believe it has affected me so much or has taken control of my user experience. I like controversial topics rather than little posts about food or fun things people do in the summer. If you think differently, you can change your news feed and get more of what you want. So for people who are complaining constantly about Facebook’s experiments: Is it really just that we are too lazy to adjust the settings and want Facebook to be perfect for us right off the bat?