Outside the Box

Predictably Irrational Experiment

The Goal:

To disprove the findings found by Pew Internet Research about the correlation between Facebook users and trust. The study found users who frequented Facebook multiple times a day tended to be more trusting.

The Reason:

After I reviewed the findings, I wondered if that really holds true in everyday life and more importantly on social network sites. By examining the findings, it would seem people who often use Facebook would be more likely to have their guard down. I didn’t buy it. In order to disprove this theory, I took a look at the frequency of people checking into Facebook and their account protection level. I wanted to see if people trusted the social network site and the overall internet.

The Experiment:

For the experiment I surveyed 32 people in person and online. I wanted to see if people who use Facebook more would have a lower account protection level, because they were among the group considered more trusting. (more…)