{"id":7726,"date":"2023-04-13T16:07:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T20:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.joindeleteme.com\/blog\/?p=7726"},"modified":"2024-10-11T18:41:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T22:41:59","slug":"facebook-likes-predict-personality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/facebook-likes-predict-personality\/","title":{"rendered":"How Facebook Likes Predict Personality (And What to Do About It)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block uk-card-default uk-padding\" style=\"font-size:16px\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents<\/h4><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#how-your-facebook-likes-predict-personality-and-expose-you\">How Your Facebook Likes Predict Personality and Expose You\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#facebook-likes-theyre-everywhere\">Facebook Likes: They\u2019re Everywhere<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-to-hide-your-likes-on-facebook\">How to Hide Your Likes On Facebook<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#its-not-just-facebook\">It\u2019s Not Just Facebook\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Your Facebook likes say a lot about you. From your sexuality to your race and politics, liking things on Facebook can expose more of your life to third parties (other users, advertisers, researchers, politicians, etc.) than you may realize.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t keep liking things on Facebook, though. You can still show your appreciation for posts\/videos\/ads etc., and maintain your privacy. All you have to do is hide your likes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-your-facebook-likes-predict-personality-and-expose-you\">How Your Facebook Likes Predict Personality and Expose You&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>That Facebook likes can overexpose you isn\u2019t a new idea. About a decade ago, researchers from Cambridge University <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/news\/science\/la-sci-facebook-likes-20130312,0,181730.story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">analyzed 58,000 Facebook profiles<\/a>. They found that a person\u2019s Facebook Likes, which are public by default, are highly accurate in predicting personal, sometimes sensitive, details about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply analyzing a person\u2019s Facebook Likes was 88% accurate in predicting whether a man is gay or straight, 95% accurate in predicting whether a person is Caucasian or African American, and 85% accurate in determining whether someone is a Democrat or a Republican.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers concluded that Facebook Likes \u201ccan be used to automatically and accurately estimate a wide range of personal attributes that people would typically assume to be private.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most Likes that serve as predictors of other attributes, including whether a person is in a relationship or a substance abuser, aren\u2019t obvious\u2013it\u2019s not as if single people Like pages called \u201cI like being single\u201d and Beyonce\u2019s \u201cSingle Ladies.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, Likes that have seemingly no connection to certain personality traits are surprisingly linked. The researchers gave a few good examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best predictors of high intelligence include&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cThunderstorms\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThe Colbert Report\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cScience\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCurly Fries\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, low intelligence was indicated by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cSephora\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI Love Being A Mom\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHarley Davidson\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cLady Antebellum.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Good predictors of male homosexuality included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cNo H8 Campaign\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cMac Cosmetics\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWicked The Musical.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, strong predictors of male heterosexuality included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWu-Tang Clan\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cShaq\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cBeing Confused After Waking Up From Naps.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"facebook-likes-theyre-everywhere\">Facebook Likes: They\u2019re Everywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/trends.builtwith.com\/search.aspx?SRCH=facebook%20like\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7.4 million websites<\/a> have Facebook Like buttons (not to mention the buttons all over Facebook itself), and that number is growing. Users can Like almost anything: photos, comments, musicians, brands, celebrities, and pages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social buttons like Facebook\u2019s Like button aren\u2019t just for sharing: they\u2019re trackers. Unless you\u2019re using an anti-tracker tool to block them, they know which sites you visit and what you do on a website, <em>even if you never click them. <\/em>The mere fact that they\u2019re present on a page means they\u2019re tracking you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study mentioned above illustrates how the little things you do online can be used to create a highly detailed picture of who you are.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may not think that a Like here and there says anything about you, but they all add up\u2013especially with Facebook\u2019s Graph Search that displays all your Likes with a single search\u2026and those searches can be incriminating, embarrassing, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abine.com\/blog\/2013\/actual-facebook-graph-searches-tumblr-shows-how-searches-could-ruin-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">even dangerous<\/a> (\u201cMen in Iran who are interested in other men,\u201d for example).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, the long list of people with whom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/full_data_use_policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook shares data<\/a> includes advertisers, app developers, law enforcement, and other companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you\u2019re trying to be discreet by leaving personal information out of your profile, others can figure it out through your public Likes. If researchers with a limited budget can learn this much about a person through their Facebook Likes, imagine how big companies, advertisers, or governments could use\u2013or misuse\u2013that data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you the type of person who takes risks? Maybe an insurance company will hike up your rates. Are you politically conservative? Maybe a potential employer will pass on hiring you because of it. Are you someone who loves coffee? Maybe online retailers will charge you more for it than someone else (Google <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theregister.co.uk\/2012\/09\/07\/google_price_discrimination_patent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed a patent<\/a> for price discrimination based on online social data).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-hide-your-likes-on-facebook\">How to Hide Your Likes On Facebook<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Facebook lets you hide your likes without unliking whatever it is you liked. To do this, you will need to set your likes to private. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 1. <\/strong>Log into Facebook and navigate to your profile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 2. <\/strong>Click on \u201cMore\u201d and \u201cLikes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 3. <\/strong>Click on the three-dot icon and then \u201cEdit the Privacy of Your Likes.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 4. <\/strong>From the list of categories (\u201cMovies,\u201d \u201cTelevision,\u201d \u201cMusic,\u201d etc.), select what you want to keep private by clicking on the world icon on the right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 5. <\/strong>Choose who you want to be able to see your likes (\u201cPublic,\u201d \u201cFriends,\u201d \u201cOnly Me,\u201d and \u201cCustom.\u201d Click \u201cSave.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"its-not-just-facebook\">It\u2019s Not Just Facebook&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Set your Facebook Likes to private, but remember: it\u2019s not just your Facebook activity that can give third parties a glimpse into your life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every time you interact online and offline, you leave a trail behind you. Whether it\u2019s your social media activity, loyalty card use, vehicle registration, or something else, data brokers constantly collect your information. These companies compile your personal information into a single profile which they then sell to anyone who wants access to it, from advertisers and insurance companies to acquaintances and cybercriminals.&nbsp;Read our <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/what-are-data-brokers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ultimate guide on data brokers<\/a> to learn more about this shadowy industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no way for you to know if someone bought access to your data broker profile. However, that doesn\u2019t mean you are powerless against the industry that makes a living from your data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most data brokers let people opt-out from their databases. As long as you remove your personal information from these sources\u2014and do so continuously\u2014you can reduce your exposure.\u00a0Follow our <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/opt-out-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opt-out guides<\/a> to delete yourself from popular data brokers. Or <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/privacy-protection-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">let us do it for you<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Facebook likes say a lot about you. From your sexuality to your race and politics, liking things on Facebook can expose more of your life to third parties (other users, advertisers, researchers, politicians, etc.) than you may realize.&nbsp; That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t keep liking things on Facebook, though. You can still show [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":7560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deleteme-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}