Reality Commons

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Friends and Family Dataset - Data Collected

Android OS based mobile phones are used as in-situ social sensors to map users activity features, proximity networks, media consumption, and behavior diffusion patterns. Subjects complete surveys at regular intervals, combining web-based and on-phone surveys. Monthly surveys include questions about self-perception of relationships, group affiliation, interactions, and also standard scales like the Big-Five personality test. Daily surveys include questions like mood, sleep, and other activity logging. Information on purchases is collected through receipts and credit card statements submitted at the participants' discretion; this component targets categories that might be influenced by peers, like entertainment and dining choices. Participants could opt to install a Facebook application that logs information on their online-social network and communication activities. About 70% of subjects opted to install this.