Facebook's Infamous Psychological Experiments Are Connected To The Department of Defense

When Facebook stopped working for a little while this past week, most blamed it on the site's usual hiccups. However, it was later revealed that it was due to a psychological experiment that the company conducted in order to learn about people's emotions on social media.

The study received instant backlash the moment it was revealed, and at the time we didn't even know the full scope. The most disturbing part of the story turns out to be that it is connected to a Department of Defense study called the Minerva Initiative. The initiative funds universities to model the dynamics, risks, and tipping points for large-scale civil unrest across the world.

Facebook's Infamous Psychological Experiments Are Connected To The Department of Defense

The DoD is funding research programs at our universities, under the supervision of various US military agencies, to better understand how to control social unrest, and apparently they’re using Facebook, and who know’s what else, to experiment on us under the direction of this research program. I'm not sure I'll be using Facebook anymore, as it's looking more and more like it's becoming a social control tool of the impending police state.

For those unfamiliar with the Minerva Initiative:

all the way back in 2008 the US Department of Defense was conducting studies on the dynamics of civil unrest, and how the US military might best respond. The name of the project: "Minerva Research Initiative" and its role is to " “improve DoD’s basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the U.S."

The premise behind Minerva is simple: study how violent political overthrow, aka mass civil breakdown, happens in the day and age of social networks, and be prepared to counteract it - by "targeting peaceful activities and protest movements" - when it finally reaches US shores

Source

a reply to: sixandone

I honestly don’t feel comfortable using Facebook anymore if it’s going to be used as a tool for social control.

Just don't give out personal information on the website...Or any for that matter!

I go on Facebook, roam around, read what people say and look at updated pictures and get off of it! If you are openly typing personal information on a public site, it is your own fault if they use that data for something! They didn't hack into your computer, you gave them that information...

That is why I never say, do, or act in any way on facebook inappropriately. Future employers read what you say before a job interview, a family will research you if you start dating their daughter, etc....Why would you want to taint your name before ever meeting someone? Act professional, give no information, use it for what it is there for...To stay updated on your friends lives, their family pictures, etc....When people update every second of their life on there, it amazes me every time! Why would you want millions of people knowing you are going on vacation and your house will be empty, because you also said your dogs will be going to the awesome puppy hotel down the road because they are awesome! Not only criminals watch that site, but apparently so does the DOD...

Keep your life to yourself unless you want someone you don't know involved in it....Then post what you will or tell people what you want....It is all YOUR decision (not you specifically OP). /rant

This comes as no surprise. I wouldnt be surprised if the DoD and other various agencies had more hands in the social media cookie jar.

"Face Book"

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein
Thats like saying, because you use the telephone anyone has the right to listen in on your conversation. The invasion of privacy these days is absurd, and something more people should be up in arms about.

I have discovered that teens and adolescents really and truly don't care about the privacy issue. They will tell you in a heartbeat that they don't care...."so what"!? they say.

Older people are much much more cautious and have the ability to understand unintended consequences of putting any and all information out there for all the world to see forever.

Whatever the game plan is for the agenda-makers, it is a long one. Many folks older than say 21-25 won't be 100% affected, but in about 15-20 years, the current youth generation will be mortified to discover what TPTB truly know about them and their entire life!

The agenda-makers will have nudged and nudged (please see Nudge Theory) until they have accomplished their goal and this "who cares?" generation will realize how much they truly gave up. It will be King and Queen Bees and billions of pathetic service drones.

a reply to: WonOunce

You are comparing a personal telephone to a very public website....How are you able to justify that comment? On the phone you are privately speaking to someone you personally called or called you.

On facebook you are posting personal information very publicly for everyone to see...There is absolutely zero comparison between the two. ZERO!

The government has been researching how to control mass population since the 1920's.
If you want to opt out, you would have to stop watching TV, listening to the radio, reading newspapers and magazines, and most importantly end all internet and cell phone activity.
Pay only with cash, never use a rewards card, stop shopping big box stores and basically go off the grid.
Facebook is a very tiny blip on the radar of surveillance and monitoring we have been under for decades.

originally posted by: [post=18103936]sixandone

The DoD is funding research programs at our universities, under the supervision of various US military agencies, to better understand how to control social unrest, and apparently they’re using Facebook, and who know’s what else, to experiment on us under the direction of this research program. I'm not sure I'll be using Facebook anymore, as it's looking more and more like it's becoming a social control tool of the impending police state.

ATS maybe?

This is how people of a certain mindset see this: They don't care how much an entity like the DOD knows about their personal lives because there is no line of defense against people who just don't give a s**t. When you start caring about what they do, they control you at that point because you are REacting to something rather than being proactive in order to keep it from happening in the first place. Someone is harassing you? Ignore it and it really will go away. People who are butinski's like the DOD do what they do in order to get a response from people. When they don't get one, they move on to people like you who take it personally.

If you don't mind my asking, why DO you care? The DOD did this on Facebook because it's social media. I don't think it's dawned on them that Facebook isn't to be taken seriously because most users don't take it seriously. Kind of like here on ATS. Most people say things just to re-read it and tell themselves that they're doing their part to make a difference. The internet may be a place to START making a difference, but whatever it is you're trying to do, you have to do it offline in order to "seal the deal".

You also need numbers behind you. Having 1,000 people protest something is a start, but it's not going to accomplish anything. And when this happens, police forces are out to make sure nothing bad happens. 1 million people would actually make a difference somewhere. At that point, what can the military realistically do to stop it? Gas 1 million Americans? Not a good PR move. It's all political anyway and the politics of it all dictate that that sort of thing cannot happen.

There's nothing they could do. They know it so they make busy work by commissioning these studies to see how they could stop those numbers before they even get to that point, and the paranoid among us fall right into game and get upset.

I see children on both sides of the aisle, that's what I see.

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

Why even have a Facebook account? I had one years ago and found it to be boring as all crap and never used it. Years ago, I canceled the account and haven't been back.

Why have one?

Obviously some of you don't realize you CAN make EVERYTHING you post on fb PRIVATE to where only your "friends" can see it...

So no, jobs can't see it if it's private. No, a family member of whoever you are trying to date can't see it.

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

Why even have a Facebook account? I had one years ago and found it to be boring as all crap and never used it. Years ago, I canceled the account and haven't been back.

Why have one?

For me personally, it is for my family that lives far away. I stay in touch, upload new pics of my daughter as she grows so they can keep up with how big she is getting, etc. All I do is check up on my family and friends, view pictures and that's it. I may be on facebook for an hour each month, maybe twice if I am uploading pictures. I don't write anything about what I am doing day to day, or anything in my personal life. I know everyone can see it and people fail to understand when everyone can see what you are doing, that is how people get robbed or stalked or worse!

If you use it as a place to check up on family and friends, show pictures, and very minimal things then you are aware that your personal life isn't being exposed to the world. I don't update when I am going on vacation, if I am uploading pictures of vacation, I do it AFTER I get back from vacation not while on vacation. You have to be cautious of things you speak about.

I can't tell you how many times I searched for a person before I hire them...I also can't tell you how many I never even gave the opportunity for an interview because of constant partying, drug talk, negative posts and personality traits that just show they aren't a good person...People just don't understand how something as simple as facebook can hurt your chances for many things in life when you are too personal and talk about bad things on there. With me using it that way personally, I am not surprised the DOD does it also...Someone can tell you a lot about themselves just thinking they are being "cool" posting about doing drugs and partying all the time...Some things need to stay "personal" and not bragged about.

Excuse me while I put on my surprised face.

........wait for it......

.....

Social engineering for dummies is more like it. Yet another in a series of "stress tests" aimed at weighing and measuring the entire population to determine critical points leading to civil unrest.... Think about it for a second, as we walk around being good slaves trying to better ourself and those we care for, "they" DoD, DARPA, etc, manipulate our emotions and desires and calibrate events to "motivate" us into a set of ideals. Like corralling sheep into a stable.

I got one for you. Stop me if you've heard it.

What's the difference between the human collective and economics?

Nothing.

originally posted by: Bovah
Obviously some of you don't realize you CAN make EVERYTHING you post on fb PRIVATE to where only your "friends" can see it...

So no, jobs can't see it if it's private. No, a family member of whoever you are trying to date can't see it.

Maybe your facebook page in specific...You would be surprised how many people don't do that! Not only that you can find close family members with pictures of you and people can judge you that way also. All I am saying is be cautious about what is on there because there is always someone looking.

originally posted by: Chrisfishenstein
a reply to: WonOunce

You are comparing a personal telephone to a very public website....How are you able to justify that comment? On the phone you are privately speaking to someone you personally called or called you.

On facebook you are posting personal information very publicly for everyone to see...There is absolutely zero comparison between the two. ZERO!

That's not entirely true as one can control one's truly public face by selecting who can see what statuses. In that sense, it is more broad than a telephone call still but it's not "very publicly for everyone to see" and is dependent on one's own settings and the settings of one's friends. For instance, one could make a status post on facebook set to only be seen by one friend if they so choose but the moment that they post a comment off their page, that control goes out the window. Even with a telephone call, one can have a group call though not likely to contain the same number of participants. Similarly, an individual on the other end could put the caller on speaker to make what they are saying "public".

On those points, I disagree. If somebody hasn't changed their privacy settings on facebook to one that limits access to what the public can see, then your argument would be valid on that point. As it is, it is not. Even somebody taking a screenshot of something that somebody posted would have a corrollary in an individual recording a telephone conversation without notification.

a reply to: sixandone

The author of the source provides zero evidence of this particular study by Facebook as having anything to do with Minerva. I've looked over the Minerva Research Initiative site and not seen this particular study mentioned at all. The one reference to social media that I recall offhand was a study of the use of social media in several instances of mass civil unrest in places like Egypt, Russia, Nigeria and Turkey. However, that particular Cornell study is for 2014 from the Minerva site. The Facebook study was done in 2012 and it is not listed as being a Minerva funding award recipient on the site.

minerva.dtic.mil...

Additionally, the Cornell University study is a completely different study than the Facebook one in methodology, objective and, most importantly, the researchers. The principal researcher for the Minerva/Cornell study was Michael Macy. The principal researchers for the Facebook study were Kramer, Guillory and Hancock.

www.pnas.org...#

Who would be interested in the Facebook study? A lot of entities from public policy centers to sociologists to defense and to Facebook, itself. Facebook would have a vested interest in seeing what their site can do to the emotions of a person and would have a vested interest in it as unhappy customers means less business. If people are capable of getting depressed on Facebook, they may eventually leave it so they could use this to make "happy Facebook users" by eliminating sources of discontent or balancing the content to have it tilt towards a "more positive experience".

I can guarantee you that there are more people interested in the social contagion effects of social media that just the defense department. I'd actually back that with a promise and I don't make promises lightly.

And for those interested in the actual Minerva research:

minerva.dtic.mil...

One more link on this subject. This Canadian story actually features a statement (on Facebook no less) by one of the Facebook study researchers, Adam Kramer.

www.cbc.ca...

What he says in it basically sums up what I was saying as it being an in-house motivation to make "happy users". Of course, that's seriously problematic when Facebook is deciding who gets to see what in an effort to make an "improved product" as it has serious free speech implications. That implies that Facebook, which has been suspected previously of controlling what is seen and what isn't, really does have an interest in curbing free speech.

The question is do they want to recognize and counter unrest or learn how to cause and control it?

Sounds like a study communists would initiate fund and see through.

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

That sounds quite reasonable.

a reply to: Bovah
Friends?..lmao, yup only your friends can see it..the average is 190 per user.
People have no concept anymore of what an actual friend is, younger people have an average of 500 fb friends... I have read about prospective employers wanting access to your facebook, or questioning what you are hiding if you choose not to have one.
Sorry i despise fb, have right from the start. Its a tool.

a reply to: queenofswords
True, but they will be so conditioned it won't really affect them when they are older.

My kids are around 30 and don't care. They couldn't wait to get the new fingerprint iPhones.
They post where they are going, what times. I tell them not to, that it's not wise to alert people your home will be vacant to rob. When we were all at a wedding last year, gee let's announce on FB, we are ALL on gone away until midnight! Instagram photos to prove we're still here too.

In fact my kids aren't aware they can set privacy levels. One daughter keeps asking how I find things out if I'm not on FB, did I hack her account?

At any rate I don't think it's wise to post your opinions on some things, like saying I have loads of guns and hate my country. I have a place to go where my stockpiles are. Were planning a revolt.

Still though, even if you keep your trap shut, it's who you associate that they are after and you will be pulled into it, like it or not.