Experts criticize Koko, a mental health nonprofit, for directing some at-risk users on Facebook, Tumblr, Discord, and other platforms to a chatbot for a study
which was a Typeform-generated survey that presented users with a quiz with GIFs of a cat and dog. https://www.vice.com/... @motherboard : If a user's response indicated that they were at risk, they were sent into a “crisis flow,” and asked whether they were struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-harm, abuse, or something else. Then, they were randomly assigned to one of two groups. https://www.vice.com/... @motherboard : Founder Rob Morris told Motherboard that he thinks social media platforms aren't doing enough to help users in crisis. He hopes platforms will partner with Koko to give users additional resources beyond the suicide hotline. https://www.vice.com/... @motherboard : While it's certainly important to help people in distress, many researchers and psychologists were appalled by the experiment, not least because it potentially puts at-risk people at further risk. Read more: https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/... Tim Marchman / @timmarchman : A mental-health startup worked with platforms including Facebook and a Stony Brook prof to experiment on teens an algorithm identified as at risk of suicide by providing them an untested intervention involving cat gifs. Informed consent was not sought. https://www.vice.com/... @motherboard : Participants of the experiment were deprived of a number of protections related to their safety and privacy. Experts consulted by Motherboard described the study using terms ranging from “distasteful” to “inexcusable.” https://www.vice.com/... @meganranney : Research on #socialmedia and #suicide prevention is deeply needed. Researching an unproven intervention without IRB oversight or consent? Not helpful. Not ethical. Not ok. https://www.vice.com/...
One group, a control, was provided a number for a crisis hotline, while the other was provided with an intervention—which was a Typeform-generated survey that presented users with a quiz with GIFs of a cat and dog. https://www.vice.com/...
Founder Rob Morris told Motherboard that he thinks social media platforms aren't doing enough to help users in crisis. He hopes platforms will partner with Koko to give users additional resources beyond the suicide hotline. https://www.vice.com/...
While it's certainly important to help people in distress, many researchers and psychologists were appalled by the experiment, not least because it potentially puts at-risk people at further risk. Read more: https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
A mental-health startup worked with platforms including Facebook and a Stony Brook prof to experiment on teens an algorithm identified as at risk of suicide by providing them an untested intervention involving cat gifs. Informed consent was not sought. https://www.vice.com/...
Participants of the experiment were deprived of a number of protections related to their safety and privacy. Experts consulted by Motherboard described the study using terms ranging from “distasteful” to “inexcusable.” https://www.vice.com/...
Research on #socialmedia and #suicide prevention is deeply needed. Researching an unproven intervention without IRB oversight or consent? Not helpful. Not ethical. Not ok. https://www.vice.com/...
If a user's response indicated that they were at risk, they were sent into a “crisis flow,” and asked whether they were struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-harm, abuse, or something else. Then, they were randomly assigned to one of two groups. https://www.vice.com/...