A new report suggests people are saying a lot more about themselves online than they realize. One of the basic features of Facebook, the world's largest social media site, is that it allows and encourages people to "like" various pages set up for businesses, celebrities, or just basic ideas. Researchers found that the pages people like can be surprisingly revealing about basic details.
This isn't a matter of the obvious pages. Someone who "likes" a page dedicated to the Green Bay Packers could reasonably be assumed to be a fan. This is a question of whether a program can accurately predict intelligence or sexual orientation based on pages people like.
Researchers found strong correlations between personality attributes and certain page likes. People who "liked" curly fries and thunderstorms were more likely to also have higher intelligence, while likes of Clark Griswold and Bret Michaels were associated with lower intelligence. None of those examples has an obvious connection.
Neither does the fact people who like the iPod or Stewie Griffin are more likely to be dissatisfied with their lives than people who like Indiana Jones and swimming.
All this raises the basic question of "So what?" Someone looking at what pages a person likes and concluding they're probably an outgoing individual is not generally going to raise concerns.
The questions come in when you take multiple factors and start building a profile that becomes almost eerily detailed. No one is recommending that you drop social media or quit looking at pages that appeal to you. But it may be worth taking the time to think about just how much information about yourself you leave on a digital trail.
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion
Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial
Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up
In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow
AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone
Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response
Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
