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Social Conformity In A Hyper-Social World
| Guest post by: Trisha McFarlane |
Article Overview: Every day, we see people ignoring common sense to their own peril. Their need to fit in outweighs any concern they have of the "right" thing to do. They become impulsive and follow the crowd.
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Social Conformity In A Hyper-Social World
I watched an episode of Dateline recently called 'What Were You Thinking?' that involved several social experiments showing that the human brain is hard wired for social conformity. And, in a majority of the experiments, the participants went along with some ridiculous and inappropriate requests just because the social situation they were in allowed for it, or they perceived it did. For example, they showed that if you walk into an elevator and there are three people in the elevator with you, if they all turn to face the back of the elevator, you probably will too. Time after time, the people unknowingly in the experiment did. Some looked confused at first, but then, they still conformed.
We see this play out in the workplace and on social media platforms. Every day, we see people ignoring common sense to their own peril. Their need to fit in outweighs any concern they have of the "right" thing to do. They become impulsive and follow the crowd. Interestingly, the "ideal" group size to conform is 3- 5 people. However, group size is not as important as the group you conform to. In a study in the British Journal of Social Psychology, groups in the majority have higher complicance rates than conversion and miniority groups have great conversion than compliance.
Have you seen this too?
The conformity can be positive, neutral, or negative. Take for example when Ashton Kutcher tried to be the first person on Twitter to reach 1,000,000 followers. It was a neutral request but people jumped on board like crazy to do a mindless thing. Did it hurt them? No. Did it waste a couple minutes of their life? Sure.
What do you think? Are people more likely to conform in person or online? Does it make a difference? What are some examples you've seen at work or online? Let's share ideas in the comments.
Related ArticlesWe see this play out in the workplace and on social media platforms. Every day, we see people ignoring common sense to their own peril. Their need to fit in outweighs any concern they have of the "right" thing to do. They become impulsive and follow the crowd. Interestingly, the "ideal" group size to conform is 3- 5 people. However, group size is not as important as the group you conform to. In a study in the British Journal of Social Psychology, groups in the majority have higher complicance rates than conversion and miniority groups have great conversion than compliance.
Have you seen this too?
The conformity can be positive, neutral, or negative. Take for example when Ashton Kutcher tried to be the first person on Twitter to reach 1,000,000 followers. It was a neutral request but people jumped on board like crazy to do a mindless thing. Did it hurt them? No. Did it waste a couple minutes of their life? Sure.
What do you think? Are people more likely to conform in person or online? Does it make a difference? What are some examples you've seen at work or online? Let's share ideas in the comments.
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Article Tags: common sense, crowd, peril, social conformity
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About the Author: Trisha McFarlane RSS for Trisha's articles - Visit Trisha's website Trish is a practicing HR professional with over 15 years of experience in Big 4 public accounting, PR, and healthcare. She is also an international speaker. With expertise in leadership, employee relations, performance management, training & development, change management, social media, and innovation, Trish is able to capture readers and audiences with real-life examples of how leadership plays out in organizations. Trish co-founded HRevolution (http://thehrevolution.org), a conference that highlights emerging trends and the future of HR, with the goal of providing an alternative networking and learning experience for business professionals who were tired of the traditional conference model. HRevolution is an event that inspires collaboration and innovative ideas in the human resource industry. She also co-founded the Women of HR blog (www.womenofhr.com) in order to give a voice to practitioners who are passionate about issues affecting women in the workplace. Trish has been a speaker at various events. Most recently at The Conference Board’s “Social Media for HR Conference”, CHCA, HR Southwest, the HR Technology Conference, HR Florida, Talent Net Live, HRevolution, and TRU London. She has received numerous accolades for her blogging and online efforts. Click here to visit Trisha's website   My First Real Job and Motivation Whats the Thing Youre Known for at Work The Best Lists A Little Ranting The Physics of Recruiting Be A Magnet for Talent Keeping the Human In Human Resources |
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Authors World
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WritertoWriter
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WritersWorld
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AuthorsandtheirReadersBlog
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting
- Social Bookmarking sites seems to be ignored by most bloggers, preferring the use of Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter.
I have come to observe that visitors referred through Social Bookmarking sites tend to engage and converts to lead more than the former.
And the Traffic is more regular!
Diigo.com scores highest in terms of traffic in the Social Bookmarking sites I have tried out so far.
Re: Marketing 2.0 - What Are Your Thoughts
- Hi Shri,
Thanks for posting this.
I also read it and I believe Social Media is here to stay, until the next best thing comes up. Social media proved to be useful for me many times and I think everyone should use it for their business.
Young Entrepreneur Organization - All You Need To Know
- The Young Entrepreneur Organization (YEO) is a global community of entrepreneurs. This non-profit organization aims to make its members successful in their business through networking and training programs. This article tells you all you need to know about the Young Entrepreneur Organization, and the opportunities it makes available to young entrepreneurs from across the world.
Young Entrepreneur Organization: Facts.
1) The Young Entrepreneur Organization has 5,000 members in 35 countries across the world. 2) The organization was founded in 1987. Since then, it has helped many aspiring entrepreneurs with training facilities and getting in touch with the right people.
3) The average age of the members of Young Entrepreneur Organization is 34 years.
4) In order to be eligible for the membership of Young Entrepreneur Organization, you need to be under the age of 40; and be the founder or partner in a business that has annual sales of more than $1 million.
World Entrepreneurs Organization: A part of the Young Entrepreneur Organization, the World Entrepreneur Organization and takes the message of Young Entrepreneur Organization to many additional places around the world. This organization is especially active in the area of education and training for entrepreneurs.
Young Entrepreneur Organization: Objectives.
1) To foster entrepreneurship.
2) To support Young Entrepreneur Organization members by providing them the chance to network and grow.
3) To provide resources to its members so that they can benefit the economy through innovative business ideas.
4) According to Young Entrepreneur Organization, you get to share your story with those who have had similar experiences, and thus gain insight into the best principles of entrepreneurship.
Young Entrepreneur Organization: Facilities.
At the Young Entrepreneur Organization, you get to meet and share views with like-minded people and fellow entrepreneurs. In order to facilitate a free exchange of ideas and growth for its member, the Young Entrepreneur Organization provides the following facilities to members.
1) Forum: Join the forum of the Young Entrepreneur Organization and start networking with entrepreneurs from across the world. Each forum group has 12 members who come together regularly to share their experiences and discuss issues related to entrepreneurship.
2) Mentor: In conjunction with the World Presidents’ Organization, the Young Entrepreneur Organization guides and counsels young entrepreneurs through a mentor program by the best business leaders.
3) Social Innovation: The Social Innovators Program involves Young Entrepreneur Organization member who wish to do something for about social issues. It helps members become socially aware citizens and gives them the opportunity to do something for their community.
4) Marketplace: The marketplace allows members to post business offers and receive replies from other members.
These are just some of the facilities you will get if you become part of the Young Entrepreneur Organization. Others, like meeting prospective clients through trade shows, and special tools to network and meet with the right people are also part of the YEO facilities.
Re: Kevin needs "social glue" ideas
- Hi,
I like the idea of "10 items that could act as "social glue" because I am an internet marketer. But I agree with the rest that the 10 recent post is nice. Maybe we should open up a new section in the forums on Social Media...or Social Media Marketing.
I will tell you that the world is about 1 1/2 behind when it comes to understanding social media. Building a section now will put EvanCarmichael.com is a great position a year down the road when people realize Social Media can produce more traffic than SEO.
Jeff
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