{"id":1371,"date":"2013-08-15T09:30:54","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T13:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com\/blog\/?p=1371"},"modified":"2023-08-24T05:56:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T09:56:20","slug":"cell-phones-mood-detection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/cell-phones-mood-detection\/","title":{"rendered":"Cell phones will soon be able to mine your data for mood detection"},"content":{"rendered":"

It used to be that a mark of a good friend was one who could tell how you were feeling. If you seemed despondent, they could make you laugh, and they knew how to make the best of a good mood.<\/p>\n

Now, it seems, even the skill of mood detection<\/a>\u00a0can be outsourced to our ever-present cell phones.<\/p>\n

\"mood

There are places where cell phones don’t belong. Available at MySecuritySign<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Scientists from Rice University, working with Microsoft Research, are developing a way for cell phones to mine your usage data \u2014 how many phone calls you make, which apps you use and how often \u2014 to determine your mood. The technology is still in the R&D stage, but they\u2019re already boasting a 93 percent accuracy rate in mood-detection. That\u2019s pretty high for a piece of metal, glass and electricity that can\u2019t actually care.<\/p>\n

It brings to mind the next question: what could Microsoft Research possible do with this technology?<\/p>\n

One would hope that no one needs a data-mining cell phone app to detect how they\u2019re feeling. And given all the talk about the NSA spying on its own population, it may be tempting to let the mind race to nefarious applications, like thought policing<\/a>. But the answer \u2014 as is often the case with technology and social media \u2014 is much more mundane and commercial.<\/p>\n

\"mood<\/a>

Cell phones have come a long way in the last few decades. From\u00a0Ben Schumin<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Much of the talk surrounding this technology has centered on how to monetize your emotional information. Possible uses being bandied about are music apps using emotional cues to suggest songs, or gaming. According to an article in Fast Company, automated mood sensing could be \u201cvery powerful\u201d because games could use the information to introduce new elements based on how the gamer is feeling. We know that gaming is a big money venture, but describing the ability of a video game to hand the player a digital sword or a wet birthday cake depending on his or her mood as “powerful” seems a bit of a stretch.<\/p>\n

Technology as a whole has been powerful. Certain technologies have made many medical and educational advances possible, to start. But in the realm of feeling, the greatest thing that social media has done is to codify our most trivial emotions. Suddenly there\u2019s a place on Instagram for any above average meal, or a way to express an emotion so small that can it can be easily satisfied by a Facebook \u201cLike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mood<\/a>

Not quite as alluring as a real smile. From\u00a0Roman Tworkowski<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

For emotions with any real depth, social media and technology have done little more than cheapen them. Relationships, platonic and romantic, used to take a great deal of care, social skill and emotional investment. The resulting payoff was much greater: loves that last a lifetime, friendships that can\u2019t be broken with the click of an un-friend button.<\/p>\n

Teaching a cell phone to detect a person\u2019s emotions is certainly novel, but I can\u2019t help but feel that these are just small ideas wrapped up in the glitz of new technology. And even at their best, these ideas are\u00a0no substitute\u00a0for the real thing. To get the experience of having your mood accurately assessed and the information used productively, go make a friend instead.<\/p>\n

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