What the Internet Thinks it Knows About Your Favorite Public Radio Hosts
Imagine if everyone who wrote you an email could see into the deepest core of your personality.
Yeah, it's not that far away: We found a service called Crystal Knows that takes the trend toward "personalization" (think crazy-targeted Facebook ads and Amazon items that follow you from sidebar to sidebar) up a notch, turning your online data into a sort of all-purpose communication coach.
On this week's episode of Note to Self — the podcast formerly known as New Tech City! — we dive deep into Crystal, which claims to be able to read a person's personality based on what they've written and shared online. It's marketed as a tool for writing more personalized emails, catered toward the recipients' particular communication style.
We had to test it. So we sent some Crystal Knows-optimized emails to public radio "personalities," as they're called, asking them to weigh on on Crystal's assessment of their... personalities.
Here's what they said:
Brooke Gladstone, Co-Host of On the Media:
Crystal says:
"Brooke is very direct in verbalizing concerns and will not leave anything up for interpretation, so occasionally will say something too bluntly as a result."
Brooke says:
"Some of these things are so true it’s scary. I do tend to be blunt in a way that may accidentally offend people . I do tend to challenge bold claims. I do ask lots of questions. But some things I don’t recognize at all. For instance, unlike the profile, I really do like metaphors, I do seek consensus, and I often do act as a mediator. This may be good advice to a marketer, but it’s not a very accurate assessment of a person."
Jad Abumrad, Co-Host of Radiolab:
Crystal says:
"Jad is social, creative, trusts feelings and gut instinct more than rules or logic, and loves talking about ideas."
Jad says:
"Wha??
I'm glad whatever algorithm this is incorrectly believes me to be social, but I hate ideas and feelings are the enemy."
Ira Flatow, Host of Science Friday:
Crystal says:
"Ira is a creative influencer: forward-thinking, ambitious, easily distracted, and makes quick decisions that can seem unpredictable."
Ira says:
"I think that the profile has merit. The qualities of my personality are flattering. I’d comment further but I’m being distracted…sorry, you want what?"
Jeremy Hobson, Co-Host of Here & Now:
Crystal says:
"Jeremy is friendly but naturally skeptical, appreciates informal conversation and gets bored very easily."
Jeremy says:
"It’s not totally accurate but I’m pretty impressed. Friendly but naturally skeptical, check. I definitely appreciate informal conversation. And I do get bored by things I’ve heard before. One thing it’s wrong about is that I lose track of time while working – I’d never survive in the live radio business if that were the case! How it got all this information, I would love to know. It’s kind of spooky."
Steve Henn, NPR's Technology Correspondent, Planet Money:
Crystal says:
"Steve is social, creative, trusts feelings and gut instinct more than rules or logic, and loves talking about ideas."
Steve says:
"I just started laughing at this line; "trusts feelings and gut instinct more than rules or logic." I hope that is not true...but now I am worried. I am going to run it by my wife, and maybe [Planet Money colleague] David Kestenbaum.
The rest of it feels pretty spot on."
John Hockenberry, host of The Takeaway:
Crystal says:
"John is very people-focused: supportive, friendly and naturally empathetic with a tendency to procrastinate."
John says:
"People-focused, supportive, friendly = Sounds like me.
Naturally empathetic = my wife would say "No effing way, but with a lot of therapy he's come around."
Procrastination = Curious, I have had a lifelong a case of selective P. Most things I get done way early, but some never come off the to do list. Hmmmm."
