When the social media website (SMW) Facebook announced that it had managed to successfully alter the moods of its users by changing the balance of positive-to-negative posts that came up on their News Feed, psychologists pointed out that this may be a violation of research ethics. What ethical violation might Facebook have been guilty of?
A) failing to obtain informed consent from its research participants
B) not remembering that researchers are required to pay (or compensate) their participants
C) avoiding debriefing research participants on the outcomes of a study
D) remembering that research that involves those under 18 years of age is strictly forbidden
E) keeping the names of participants confidential

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ethical violation that Facebook may have been guilty of is failing to obtain informed consent from its research participants. Facebook did not inform users that they were being used as research participants and did not obtain their consent to manipulate the content of their News Feeds for the purpose of the study.

When the Social Media Website (SMW) Facebook Announced That It