Facebook just duped us all.

It was a big step for America. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in all of the United States.

Computer key with like or thumb up symbol
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Once this started, I saw most of my friends and family on Facebook with new rainbow filter profile picture showing support of gay marriage.

Although they do not look the same, it was similar to when everyone had the profile photo with a red background with a white equal sign in it.

I wondered who started the movement. Who decided, 'hey, wouldn't it be cool if we used this equal sign?' or 'hey, let's all use this program to make rainbow photos?' Was it some guy or gal that imagined it? Or was it Facebook playing a mind game?

I now know, that my initial thought was correct... we all got duped.

According to Daily Mail, this tool was actually Facebook’s way of performing psychological testing on their users.

This rainbow filter tool has been set up by Facebook in order to gain insight on how to influence their users. Looks like we have been apart of an experiment!

Suzy Moat, a Warwick Business School assistant professor of behavioral science, said that it’s normal for businesses like Facebook to conduct research studies on how to influence behavior. However, she she also acknowledged that it’s understandable that users would be upset by it.

“On the other hand, it’s extremely understandable that many people are upset that their behavior may have been manipulated for purely scientific purposes without their consent,” she said. “In particular, Facebook’s user base is so wide that everyone wonders if they were in the experiment.”

When it comes to Facebook, they have denied the claims.

 

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