Who knew liking curly fries was a hint that you had a high IQ? A recent study by Cambridge University determined that based on what a person ‘likes’ on Facebook, a lot can be said about who that person is. Based on data available to the public, researchers showed they could figure out a person’s gender, political views, sexual orientation and personality type based on the Facebook pages they liked. Researchers also said they could correctly guess man’s sexual orientation 88 percent of the time, they were 65 percent accurate in figuring out if a Facebook user also used drugs and could even figure out if a person’s parents split up when they were young. That’s kind of scary. While the study proved that targeted marketing is definitely effective, it also makes you realize how much information we’re sharing about ourselves online. The next time you go to like a new page on Facebook, think about what that page might say about you and your curly fry preferences.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.