Facebook Is Paying Users To Deactivate Accounts Ahead Of US Elections
Ahead of the contested November US elections, Facebook is paying users to deactivate their accounts. It’s all a part of a study to assess the impact social media has on voting, and arrives after CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s new ban on political ads to curb misinformation.
For their study, the social media company is set to pay selected members up to $120 to deactivate their accounts beginning at the end of September. The company’s spokesperson Liz Bourgeois tweeted, “Anyone who chooses to opt-in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating FB or IG for a period of time – will be compensated. This is fairly standard for this type of academic research.”
Additionally, the company is expected 200,000 to 400,000 people to participate. In their statement, the company adds, “Representative, scientific samples of people in the US will be selected and invited to participate in the study. Some potential participants will see a notice in Facebook or Instagram inviting them to take part in the study. Study samples will be designed to ensure that participants mirror the diversity of the US adult population, as well as users of Facebook and Instagram.” Results are expected sometime next year.
While describing the plan, Facebook says it is in place “to continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research.”
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