Chapter 4: Q. 111 (page 283)

Facebook emotions In cooperation with researchers from Cornell University, Facebook
randomly selected almost $700000$ users for an experiment in “emotional contagion.”
Users’ news feeds were manipulated (without their knowledge) to selectively show
postings from their friends that were either more positive or more negative in tone, and
the emotional tone of their own subsequent postings was measured. The researchers
found evidence that people who read emotionally negative postings were more likely to
post messages with a negative tone, whereas those who read positive messages were
more likely to post messages with a positive tone. The research was widely criticized for
being unethical. Explain why.

Short Answer

Expert verified

This type of emotional convergence can occur between individuals or within a bigger population because Emotions can be conveyed between people in a variety of ways, both implicitly and explicitly. Conscious reasoning, analysis, and imagination, for example, have all been linked to the phenomenon. Humans and other primates have shown this behaviour.

Step by step solution

Given information

We have to tell about the negative posts being circulated onfacebook.

Explanation

Emotional contagion is a type of social contagion in which emotions and related actions spread spontaneously. This type of emotional convergence can occur between individuals or within a bigger population. Emotions can be conveyed between people in a variety of ways, both implicitly and explicitly. Conscious reasoning, analysis, and imagination, for example, have all been linked to the phenomenon. Humans and other primates have shown this behaviour.

Emotional contagion is beneficial to personal connections because it promotes emotional synchrony among people.