[politics?] Fb Paying Users to Deactivate Accounts Prior to Election

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 09/15/2020 at 15:50 • Filed to: None

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As part of Facebook’s latest study on how social media impacts democracy, the company appears to be paying users to log off of its products ahead of the 2020 US presidential election, according to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! posted by Washington Post reporter Elizabeth Dwoskin on Thursday.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Facebook announced that it was partnering with outside researchers to study the impact its social media products have on society during the upcoming US presidential election. Facebook expects around 200,000 to 400,000 users will opt in to the project. Once they’ve opted in, the company will be able to see how they interact with its products, including both Facebook and Instagram.

“To continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research,” !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . “That’s why today we are announcing a new research partnership to better understand the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes and behaviors during the US 2020 elections.

The screenshots posted by The Washington Post Thursday show an Instagram pop-up asking users to select how much money they’d be willing to receive in order to deactivate their Instagram and Facebook accounts ahead of the election. Facebook gives the options of $10, $15, and $20 per week as some users would be asked to deactivate for one week while others could be asked to leave the platform up to six weeks total.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the company would be paying users who complete surveys or deactivate as part of its research Thursday. “Anyone who chooses to opt in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating FB or IG for a period of time – will be compensated,” Liz Bourgeous, a Facebook spokesperson, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Thursday. “This is fairly standard for this type of academic research.”

According to Facebook, the company doesn’t expect to release the findings of its research until at least the middle of next year . ”

From another article - “ A group of 17 independent researchers from the fields of elections, democracy and social media will now work with internal Facebook data scientists to design the studies.”

Would be interesting to know who they’re offering this to, and why. Hard to believe that it’s completely random... but who knows?

Seems like easy pickings for the conspiracy theory crowd(s).

For Sweden > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 15:54

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Compensation to participants of a psychology study is pretty normal

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 15:56

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I had mine deactivated from January 2016 until April 2017, only reason I reactivated it was so I could use the dating apps.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > For Sweden 09/15/2020 at 16:00

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Sure, but paying hundreds of thousands of people to get off Facebook for a couple months prior to a national election could pretty easily be seen as attempting to sway the results (not that anyone’s undecided at this point).

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:01

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Don’t need those anymore...

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:03

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I mean yeah, but I haven’t seen a reason to deactivate it again. It’s not on my phone and I don’t check it much.

Tareim - V8 powered > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:03

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I would deactivate mine except it’s required for Oculus VR and also my friday night football group is organised via a fb group, I don’t visit the news feed anymore, would be great to be paid not to do that. don’t need it for dating apps as given up with those

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:07

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Probably for the best. It’s been a nice tool for me to stay connected with old friends and distant family, but there are plenty of downsides.

I started watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix - very interesting. Definitely makes my opinion of not letting my kids on social media until they’re near or in college that more set.

WilliamsSW > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:09

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Crap I’ve been doing that for free for 4 years now!

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:10

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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 09/15/2020 at 16:15

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LOL

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WilliamsSW 09/15/2020 at 16:16

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Maybe ask for back pay?

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:17

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I had to reactivate mine because I am job hunting, and not having a social media presence is, apparently, a bad thing? Still refuse to use instagram or twitter or a few of the others. I really really like my privacy (a stalker will do that to you)

For Sweden > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:25

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SiennaMan > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:25

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 I'm a bit torn on this.   On one hand, I'd love to be paid to suspend FB for a few months.  On the other hand,  I don't really want to be tracked anymore than I already am.  Also, I agree that it will give conspiracy theory folks a field day even though I think there are very very few undecided voters left and those that are I doubt are going to be persuaded one way or the other by their "friends" red-assing about the candidate they oppose..

For Sweden > E90M3 09/15/2020 at 16:25

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Unnecessary swiping with E90M3

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:30

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I’ve never had a FB account. Can I still get a check?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SiennaMan 09/15/2020 at 16:30

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Yep.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 09/15/2020 at 16:31

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I’m going to go with... no.

But good for you.

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:34

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I don’t Twit either. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 09/15/2020 at 16:40

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I do a very small amount of Twitting every once in a while - lots of car folks are on it - and almost shared the How OPPO Is Your Car Post there, but decided better of it (even though I’d like more current and ex-Jalops to take a look, score their cars, and maybe stick around on Oppo afterward).

Dusty Ventures > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:41

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Paying you say?

*Creates 50 Facebook accounts*

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Dusty Ventures 09/15/2020 at 16:42

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Good luck.

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:43

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I actually do have a Twitter account, which I created to use as a log in somewhere. But I post nothing on it and delete all the email alerts about replies etc. that I get. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:48

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Yeah, this is definitely 5D chess..

Go t wind of a potential future FaceBook ad campaign ? Take the viewers out before it’s released!

WilliamsSW > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:49

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I might log back on to see if I can finagle something out of this 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 09/15/2020 at 16:54

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I have made a grand total of 1 post on Instagram.

I need to start a company called Instagramps.

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 16:57

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Oh, yeah, I don’t do that either. But I do have an account. Oppo is enough of a time suck as it is. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 09/15/2020 at 17:03

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#TrueFacts

I used to be the guy who always got on as soon as a new website hit, in order to reserve my username, but that ended around Instagram.

Snapchat? TikTok? Triller? What are you gosh-durn kids yappin’ about?

UserNotFound > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/15/2020 at 21:21

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I shut mine down around the last election and haven’t reactivated since - where’s my check!?