Editing 2576: Control Group

{{comic
| number    = 2576
| date      = February 2, 2022
| title     = Control Group
| image     = control_group.png
| titletext = Placeble 228 x/6<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜<br>⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Wordle}} ([https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/]) is a web-based word puzzle game that was especially popular when this comic was released. In the comic, [[Ponytail]] asks [[Cueball]] whether he's playing the game; Cueball replies that he isn't, because he's "in the control group". In scientific studies, the {{w|control group}} stands in opposition to the treatment group; whereas the treatment group receives the experimental "treatment", the control group does not, instead receiving a {{w|placebo}} or nothing at all. This is done to establish a baseline—what would happen without intervention—against which the result of the experimental treatment is compared later.

When Cueball replies that he's "in the control group", this implies that Ponytail and other Wordle players are part of a "treatment" group. This implies that playing Wordle may have some long-term effects worth studying.
Jokingly, this may also imply that Wordle is some sort of {{w|social experiment}}, perhaps a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sociological-study-conducted-by-harvard-university sociological study conducted by Harvard]. As noted in the caption to the comic, [[Randall]] has been using this line as his new all-purpose excuse when he is not doing something. It's a clever way of saying that you're determined not to take part, as a control group requires him to avoid it. Mind control studies can also be nonconsensual experiments that massively impact public behavior.

More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.

The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is looking at her smartphone which she is holding in her hand, while she is talking to Cueball.]
:Ponytail: Are you playing Wordle?
:Cueball: No, I'm in the control group.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My new all-purpose excuse for when I'm not doing something

==Trivia==
* The original image had a much larger size than normal, because Randall posted the same file for both the normal "double size" image and the "regular" size. He later updated the comic, so the [https://xkcd.com/2576 image on xkcd.com] is now the same size as other comics. Later, something similar happened with [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio]], when Randall changed the original comic, and made both images the same size. See that comic's [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio#Trivia|trivia section]].
* A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]
[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]