OkCupid, a dating site known for matching people based on their personal information and preferences, recently tantalized users with the proposition - "the more you tell us, the more likely it is we can match you with the person of your dreams."

With more information in their midst, the creators of the site have had no qualms about using the details in order to "experiment on human beings," which has had a lot of users infuriated at the thought of being used as guinea pigs.

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Despite the human experimentation, the site continues to thrive. As a matter of fact, Christian Rudder, CEO of OKCupid and the one who has revealed that the site experiments on human beings, has recently published a book on why social media data is important to his company, as well as other social media sites. The book is entitled "Dataclysm: Who We Are When We Think No One's Looking".

In the book, Rudder claims that data posted on social media should be made available to the public and, should be seen as a sociological resource.

"I realized I could use the data to examine taboos like race by direct introspection data was sitting right there on our servers. It was an irresistible social opportunity," Rudder shared with the New York Times.
He pointed out that interaction between black women and white men was particularly interesting.

Rudder also shared that the data showed that although users specify a certain type of partner they want to pursue, they often do not go for what they say they seek. He pointed out that straight men state that they want partners who are between the ages of 24 and 40, but rarely connect with women older than 29.

"I see this as a statement of what men imagine they're supposed to desire, versus what they actually do," Rudder explained.

His book concludes with a call to companies similar to his own to share their data for the sake of social transparency.