How to Take a Personality Test on Facebook

Without Having your Personal Info Stolen

Step One: Don’t take a personality test on Facebook. The End.

I heard a saying recently that when an egg is cracked from the outside, something is being destroyed but when an egg cracks from the inside something is growing. As a business psychology professional, a specialist in the study of personality in groups , and a practitioner of scientifically based personality testing my goal is to use my expertise along with the right tools (ie. personality tests) to help people grow on the inside…or crack their egg from the inside.

I work hard to NOT give clients the answers. Instead, my job is to ask the right questions and provide the right insight so that they can figure out the answers and develop on their own. Needless to say, I was disturbed to learn of the recent misuse of personality testing to secretly gather the profile information from Facebook users.

Facebook’s Friends and Their Shenanigans
Without going into all of the twists and turns that led to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg sitting in front of a congressional committee, here’s the “short” version:

• In 2014, Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, a Cambridge University researcher worked with the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, to develop a personality test app based on the Big Five personality assessment. I used this assessment in my dissertation research and it is actually one of the most widely used assessment tools for personality research.
• Cambridge University was approached about the project first, but declined to be involved. So Dr. Kogan accepted the project independently.
• The app was designed to capture the personality profile information of Facebook users. The app also mined additional personal information from user’s Facebook profiles.
• The (paid) Facebook participants took the “tests”, but they were not informed about how this info would be used nor were they informed that their personal data was also being gathered.
• Not only were survey participants’ profiles compromised, the profiles of their friends were also affected.
• The data ended up in the hands of (was allegedly sold to) Cambridge Analytica and was allegedly gathered to target specific users during the 2016 presidential election.
• Dr. Kogan, Cambridge Analytica, and Facebook are all blaming each other.
• Zuckerberg’s ended up on the stand and over 50 million personal profiles were compromised.

50 million Broken Eggs

Many times, tests intended for research, personal growth, and fun claim to offer test-takers an opportunity to learn a little more about themselves. The goal in taking a personality test should be growth and development, but without post assessment application, you’re often just left with the question “So now what?” For example, another personality assessment that I have administered is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The value in taking the MBTI or any similar assessment isn’t in taking the test itself. It is in determining your own personality preferences while working through the professional feedback process.

People in the Facebook situation were technially paid an incentive for their participation. These types of online tests can be fun and often inexpensive or even free. However, there is greater value in scientifically validated personality assessments that include some sort of post-assessment coaching or follow up. These offer more than just a label, a score or a category for the participant to be grouped into. In my profession, my responsibility to my assessment clients is to help them break through their personal development “egg” from the inside out. Unfortunately, Facebook’s colleagues did the opposite. They used the information without regard for personal development — in essence, crushing over 50 million eggs.

Originally published at www.melaniecgallo.com on April 13, 2018.