Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Undeniable proof that Facebook knows way too much about your life

Published Feb 17th, 2014 11:15AM EST
How Much Does Facebook Know About Me

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

There are times when we think that Google and Facebook really want to be Santa Claus, i.e., they see you when you’re sleeping, they know when you’re awake, they know when you’ve been bad or good, etc. Facebook data scientist Carlos Diuk late last week revealed that Facebook has come up with a way to predict when you’re about to get into a relationship with someone based just on the number of interactions with them leading up to the time when you change your status from “single” to “in a relationship.”

“During the 100 days before the relationship starts, we observe a slow but steady increase in the number of timeline posts shared between the future couple,” Diuk writes. “When the relationship starts (‘day 0’), posts begin to decrease. We observe a peak of 1.67 posts per day 12 days before the relationship begins, and a lowest point of 1.53 posts per day 85 days into the relationship. Presumably, couples decide to spend more time together, courtship is off, and online interactions give way to more interactions in the physical world.”

Facebook has even come up with a way to detect whether users in a new relationship are posting positive emotions on their Facebook feeds and, wouldn’t you know it, being in a new relationship leads to an increase in happy posts. The main takeaway here seems to be that if you don’t want Facebook to know about your love life then you shouldn’t share anything on the social network with the person you’re courting and you should pretend that you’re completely miserable in the days leading up to becoming a couple.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.