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It’s not a secret that computers are a part of everyone’s daily life. At work, at home, in every man’s home, an indispensable gadget can be found: the computer. Even more, researchers say that the computer can be considered as man’s best friend. Humanity is becoming dependent on computers, it seems, and studies even suggest that they may even judge your personality traits better than friends.
While some people have computers only for basic activities, such as emails or for surfing the Internet, others use them for communication purposes to reach their loved ones. Parents communicate with children, friends, share personal experience, and others rediscover old college friends and so on. However, all this information is placed on the Internet.
Two major universities, Stanford University and Cambridge University conducted a study based on the information shared on Facebook. A huge number of people participated in this research: more than 86,000. Those included in the study received one hundred items that they had to answer as sincerely as possible. The participants’ friends were carefully chosen.
In the same time, the group’s friends had to complete another questionnaire about their friends. Items included hobbies, likes, dislikes, political views and so on. The results showed that the computer know more about the participants than their friends do.
After completing a given questionnaire, the computer created an algorithm to determine personality traits. The main key element to this algorithm was the “Like” which was seen like a cyber-footprint. Regarding this print, the algorithm’s predictions were proved to be more accurate and valid in comparison with the answers provided by the participants’ friends.
Some may ask what the purpose of such a research could possibly be. Well, the main conductors of this study have replied that this algorithm can determine whether a certain candidate is suitable for a job opening.
Taking into account his Internet activities on different sites, the program can determine several personality details which may bring him the job. For example, purchasing a book from Amazon can tell the employers that the candidate enjoys reading scientific magazines or that he likes to be in touch with latest news in his field of study.
However, computers all not yet full proof in reading people. Although they interpret precise data, psychologists or behaviorists take into consideration much more angles than the computer is now equipped with in his hard. While science people take accounts of the computer’s use, their experience and hunch cannot be programmed into a computer.
In the end, maybe the time has come to take the Internet a little bit more serious than before.
Image Source: atarimagazines
