5 ms·

""a move that it hopes will create peer pressure to nudge more people to add their names to the rolls of registered organ donors. It is a rare foray by Faceboo

""a move that it hopes will create peer pressure to nudge more people to add their names to the rolls of registered organ donors. It is a rare foray by Facebook into social engineering from social networking, and one with a potentially profound effect, according to experts in the field of organ donation."" You say social engineering. I say manipulating people to do something you think they should. I seriously wonder why I still use facebook.

ceejayoz 14y ago
Of all the things Facebook does that are sleazy, encouraging the saving of lives in a way that has zero downside is the thing that gets you up in arms?
- horsehead 14y ago
  it's not so much that. It's the stigmatizing that they're doing -- as if you're somehow 'bad' by not being an organ donor. Yes it's admirable, but it's the principle that gets me more than the details of this. While organ donation is a good thing, where does it stop after this? edit: for example, why doesn't he do some social engineering to help all the starving children in third world countries? I don't have figures, but I'd like to see the numbers of people who die because there was no organ available to them compared to the number of children who die because they don't have food.
  - ceejayoz 14y ago
    > it's not so much that. It's the stigmatizing that they're doing -- as if you're somehow 'bad' by not being an organ donor. Well, you are, if you ask me. Not donating is tremendously selfish, I'd say. > edit: for example, why doesn't he do some social engineering to help all the starving children in third world countries? Organ donation costs me nothing. It is an act that has zero downside to me. Donating food has at least some downside, as it deprives me of something (money or food) I would have had.
    - horsehead 14y ago
      See, this is exactly why this sort of thing should not be on facebook. It will contribute to a decay of relations between people who think someone is a bad person for not donating and someone who thinks there is nothing wrong with not donating.
      - pazimzadeh 14y ago
        And? It's not Facebook's job to make people like each other, and I'm sure you won't have to share your donor status if you don't want to. There are plenty of things that people can judge you about on Facebook (sex, race, attractiveness, religious views).
      - horsehead 14y ago
        Pazimzadeh: ""The company announced a plan on Tuesday morning to encourage everyone on Facebook to start advertising their donor status on their pages, along with their birth dates and schools"" When facebook has 'a plan' to get you to share this, it gets to a level above simply putting your religious views et al on your FB page.
    - drivingmenuts 14y ago
      Selfish, maybe, but that's still a very personal choice and one that doesn't cause any direct harm, if you choose not to. We are all well within our rights not to donate organs.
      - pazimzadeh 14y ago
        How do you mean? There is a shortage of organs for transplants. If you don't donate, another person will die. That's pretty direct.
        drivingmenuts 14y ago
        But I am not the cause of that person's death. The cause of their death will likely be disease or accident or some other thing unrelated to my person. Learn the difference between direct and indirect.
  - carleverett 14y ago
    This is a really bad argument. First of all with the understanding by the public that your Facebook status is not necessarily your organ donor status, there is no stigma. Then your edit... organ donations are a good thing just not as good as donating food to Africa? I'm sorry Mark Zuckerberg isn't saving the world as fast as you would like him to. I see an enormous benefit in this - as mentioned even your driver's license doesn't really determine whether or not you donate organs upon death; it's up to your family in the end. Do you know everyone in your family's organ donor status? My hunch is that this is news to a lot of family members upon the death of their loved one. Because your Facebook profile is public, I think your family is more inclined to believe that it is what you really wanted - whereas your driver's license is a box you check once when you're 16 that you never really think about again.
jQueryIsAwesome 14y ago
Under that light every popular behaviour is manipulation "Oh, everyone is using black t-shirts in my classroom, I don't know why but I better start wearing one"

ceejayoz 14y ago

Of all the things Facebook does that are sleazy, encouraging the saving of lives in a way that has zero downside is the thing that gets you up in arms?

horsehead 14y ago
it's not so much that. It's the stigmatizing that they're doing -- as if you're somehow 'bad' by not being an organ donor. Yes it's admirable, but it's the principle that gets me more than the details of this. While organ donation is a good thing, where does it stop after this? edit: for example, why doesn't he do some social engineering to help all the starving children in third world countries? I don't have figures, but I'd like to see the numbers of people who die because there was no organ available to them compared to the number of children who die because they don't have food.
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  > it's not so much that. It's the stigmatizing that they're doing -- as if you're somehow 'bad' by not being an organ donor. Well, you are, if you ask me. Not donating is tremendously selfish, I'd say. > edit: for example, why doesn't he do some social engineering to help all the starving children in third world countries? Organ donation costs me nothing. It is an act that has zero downside to me. Donating food has at least some downside, as it deprives me of something (money or food) I would have had.
  - horsehead 14y ago
    See, this is exactly why this sort of thing should not be on facebook. It will contribute to a decay of relations between people who think someone is a bad person for not donating and someone who thinks there is nothing wrong with not donating.
    - pazimzadeh 14y ago
      And? It's not Facebook's job to make people like each other, and I'm sure you won't have to share your donor status if you don't want to. There are plenty of things that people can judge you about on Facebook (sex, race, attractiveness, religious views).
    - horsehead 14y ago
      Pazimzadeh: ""The company announced a plan on Tuesday morning to encourage everyone on Facebook to start advertising their donor status on their pages, along with their birth dates and schools"" When facebook has 'a plan' to get you to share this, it gets to a level above simply putting your religious views et al on your FB page.
  - drivingmenuts 14y ago
    Selfish, maybe, but that's still a very personal choice and one that doesn't cause any direct harm, if you choose not to. We are all well within our rights not to donate organs.
    - pazimzadeh 14y ago
      How do you mean? There is a shortage of organs for transplants. If you don't donate, another person will die. That's pretty direct.
      - drivingmenuts 14y ago
        But I am not the cause of that person's death. The cause of their death will likely be disease or accident or some other thing unrelated to my person. Learn the difference between direct and indirect.
- carleverett 14y ago
  This is a really bad argument. First of all with the understanding by the public that your Facebook status is not necessarily your organ donor status, there is no stigma. Then your edit... organ donations are a good thing just not as good as donating food to Africa? I'm sorry Mark Zuckerberg isn't saving the world as fast as you would like him to. I see an enormous benefit in this - as mentioned even your driver's license doesn't really determine whether or not you donate organs upon death; it's up to your family in the end. Do you know everyone in your family's organ donor status? My hunch is that this is news to a lot of family members upon the death of their loved one. Because your Facebook profile is public, I think your family is more inclined to believe that it is what you really wanted - whereas your driver's license is a box you check once when you're 16 that you never really think about again.

jQueryIsAwesome 14y ago

Under that light every popular behaviour is manipulation "Oh, everyone is using black t-shirts in my classroom, I don't know why but I better start wearing one"