View in EDS

From Obedience to Contagion: Discourses of Power in Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook Experiment

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: From Obedience to Contagion: Discourses of Power in Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook Experiment
Language: English
Authors: Recuber, Timothy
Source: Research Ethics. Jan 2016 12(1):44-54.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2016
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Social Media, Ethics, Research Methodology, Emotional Response, Behavior Change, Power Structure
DOI: 10.1177/1747016115579533
ISSN: 1747-0161
Abstract: When the public outcry concerning the 'Facebook experiment' began, many commentators drew parallels to controversial social science experiments from a prior era. The infamous Milgram (1963) and Zimbardo (1973) experiments concerning the social psychology of obedience and aggression seemed in some ways obvious analogs to the Facebook experiment, at least inasmuch as all three violated norms about the treatment of human subjects in research. But besides that, what do they really have in common? In fact, a close reading of Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook experiment reveals something about the way power--both as a subject of scholarly inquiry and as an element wielded by researchers--is conceptualized today. Although all three experiments were, in essence, measuring the researchers' ability to induce an emotional or behavioral change in subjects, the Facebook experiment did much more than the others to hide such considerations and naturalize the exercise of power at work in that study. This paper thus argues that the invisibility of power in the discourse of the Facebook experiment demonstrates, in miniature, the more insidious elements of big data as a whole.
Abstractor: As Provided
Number of References: 27
Entry Date: 2018
Accession Number: EJ1194576
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1194576
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: From Obedience to Contagion: Discourses of Power in Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook Experiment
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Recuber%2C+Timothy%22">Recuber, Timothy</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Research+Ethics%22"><i>Research Ethics</i></searchLink>. Jan 2016 12(1):44-54.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 11
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2016
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Media%22">Social Media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethics%22">Ethics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+Methodology%22">Research Methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Response%22">Emotional Response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior+Change%22">Behavior Change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Power+Structure%22">Power Structure</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1177/1747016115579533
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1747-0161
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: When the public outcry concerning the 'Facebook experiment' began, many commentators drew parallels to controversial social science experiments from a prior era. The infamous Milgram (1963) and Zimbardo (1973) experiments concerning the social psychology of obedience and aggression seemed in some ways obvious analogs to the Facebook experiment, at least inasmuch as all three violated norms about the treatment of human subjects in research. But besides that, what do they really have in common? In fact, a close reading of Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook experiment reveals something about the way power--both as a subject of scholarly inquiry and as an element wielded by researchers--is conceptualized today. Although all three experiments were, in essence, measuring the researchers' ability to induce an emotional or behavioral change in subjects, the Facebook experiment did much more than the others to hide such considerations and naturalize the exercise of power at work in that study. This paper thus argues that the invisibility of power in the discourse of the Facebook experiment demonstrates, in miniature, the more insidious elements of big data as a whole.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: Ref
  Label: Number of References
  Group: RefInfo
  Data: 27
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2018
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1194576
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1194576
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1177/1747016115579533
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 44
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Social Media
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research Methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotional Response
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Behavior Change
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Power Structure
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: From Obedience to Contagion: Discourses of Power in Milgram, Zimbardo, and the Facebook Experiment
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Recuber, Timothy
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2016
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1747-0161
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 12
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Research Ethics
              Type: main
ResultId 1