- Dad videos rush to hospital, wife's unexpected early delivery
- Abandoned dog with "free" message written on body finds new home
- Man loses fingertips on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride
- Survivor played dead in alleged Texas family execution
- Twerking, lap dance lead to suspension of middle school teacher
In response to Facebook's controversial mood experiment, a Dutch creative agency has started a study that asks users to log off the site for more than three months.
Dubbed 99 Days of Freedom, the nonprofit group wants people to stay off Facebook for 99 days to see how it impacts their happiness.
The experiment was made in response to Facebook's recent study, where the social media site altered some users' news feeds to see if negative posts would make them post negative things and vice versa. (Via The Guardian.
99 Days of Freedom asks users to change their profile photo to this image and complete a survey on their emotional state on the 33rd, 66th and 99th day of the study.
In a press release, the group's director wants to be clear this move is not anti-Facebook. "Facebook is an incredible platform, we're all fiercely loyal users ... But we also feel that there are obvious emotional benefits to moderation. Our prediction is that the experiment will yield a lot of positive personal experiences." (Via 99 Days of Freedom)
However, The Wall Street Journal points out this story is getting a lot more coverage than commitment. As of Friday evening, approximately 11,000 people had joined in which isn't even a noticeable number as far as Facebook is concerned.
Just in case people start feeling lonely, the project has created an online forum where participants can talk about their experiences and find out how quitting Facebook is affecting others. (Via ReadWrite)
And does no one see the irony in creating an online community for people attempting to escape that other online community?
About the Author
