An Experiment with Identical Facebook Profiles
In the modern digital age, social media platforms play a significant role in shaping our perceptions and opinions. One of the most debated topics is how these platforms, particularly Facebook, contribute to the polarisation of views. To explore this phenomenon, I am conducting an experiment using two identical Facebook profiles to see how content diverges over time. Here’s a detailed account of my journey and findings.
The Concept
The idea was simple yet profound: create two identical Facebook profiles, engage with similar content initially, and then gradually diverge their interactions. The goal was to observe how Facebook’s algorithms would tailor content differently for each profile and potentially contribute to the extremity of views.
Setting Up the Experiment
Profile Creation
I began by creating two new Facebook accounts with identical information:
- Names: Chosen to be generic and identical
- Date of Birth: Same for both profiles
- Profile Picture and Cover Photo: Identical images
- Hobbies and Interests: Listed the same interests
- About Me Section: Filled out with the same details
- Friends and Groups: Added the same initial set of friends and joined similar groups to establish a common baseline.
Initial Interactions
To maintain consistency, I identified a few common interests and interacted similarly on both profiles. This included:
- Liking the same pages
- Following the same public figures
- Joining the same groups
The Experiment
Baseline Phase
For the first two weeks, I ensured both profiles interacted with the same types of content in a consistent manner. This meant liking, commenting, and sharing similar posts.
Divergence Phase
After the initial period, I began to subtly change the interactions:
- Profile A: Started liking and following content that leaned slightly towards one side of the political spectrum.
- Profile B: Started liking and following content that leaned slightly towards the opposite side.
- Over time, I gradually increased the extremity of the content interacted with, meticulously tracking the changes.
Let’s see how over the coming weeks the social media landscape for the two profiles progress.
