Social Proof 165p1z

SOCIAL PROOF “When we feel uncertain, we all tend to look to others for answers as to how we should behave, what we should think and what we should do”. 1 Social proof is a cognitive bias which generally implies trust in others. This social phenomenon is very recurrent nowadays where people tend to copy the other people’s actions in given situations. “The term social proof was derived in Robert Cialdini’s - Influence: Science and Practice in 1984 and this bias could also be referred to as Informational Social Influence”. 2

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1 Social Proof: Why We Should Look to Others for What We Should Think and Do – Mental Models, Farnam Street 2 Social Proof - Wikipedia

Source: Jumpermedia There are several mechanisms and causes of social proof. One very prominent cause of social proof is uncertainty. This factor is the like engine that drives social proof. If an individual is face with an uncomfortable situation with little or no prior experience, that person tends to refer to others for guidance. Another important factor is similarity or resemblance. People are prone to adopt or copy the behavior and attitudes of the people they regard as similar to them. Demographic factors such as age, gender, physical appearance, life experiences etc. give them a sense of belonging to a particular group. They tend to trust the actions of their peers and eventually choose to make the same decisions as them. Furthermore, quantity is one pertinent factor that drives social proof. Nowadays it seems that the greater the number of people who think an idea is correct, the more credible that idea will be for the individual. If the masses believe in a concept, it become relatively easy for the concept to become acceptable within a community. The power of masses has been reinforced with the presence of mass media communication. More so, expertise or skillfulness considerably influences the mechanism of social proof. If someone is surrounded by people that are thought to be skillful or versed with a particular subject, the individual will easily be influenced by their decisions. On the bright side social proof can have several advantages. The concept can be used effectively for academic purposes, where brighter students can be a great tool of instruction to slower counterparts. Instructors use this form of social proof to assist students that are lagging behind without making them uncomfortable. Secondly, social proof could also be used to good and social causes. When properly communicated, missions that social and sustainable work can encourage masses to the cause and produce substantial results.

Social proof has also proven to be one of the most efficient marketing there is. It can be used to persuade customer to purchase a particular good or service. The use of recommendations and reviews or even catch phrases such as “product of the year”, “best seller” etc. can improve the chances of a good or service being purchased. Despite the numerous advantages of social proof, concept also has a dark side. It could be detrimental and dangerous. The five most dangerous words in Business are: ‘Everybody else is doing it’” – Warren E. Buffett.3 One very important element in business is the fact that one cannot make decisions based on emotions or what others are doing with a reasonable basis for this action. This may prompt hasty and bad business decisions which is bad for business and worst-case scenario could mean the end of the business. Social proof is a powerful tool of manipulation that can used in a negative way to influence the decisions of individuals. Therefore, negative attitude or action may be perceived as good by the observer. Not only is this detrimental, but the individual is unable is for their choices and actions. Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) is a very prominent example that illustrates social proof in this era. Due to the thirst and hunger for one’s content to go viral, people tend to rely on the “snowball effect” that occurs at a given time. Getting content to be liked and/or shared on social media can be cumbersome. The first share is very hard to come by, but once you can get over 100 shares the perception s have about your page changes. Also, your social media following can also be a form of social proof. s have the tendency to think that an with a few thousands of followers is not as active and interesting as one with millions of followers. A five-star rating obviously does not have the same psychological impact as a one-star rating. Goods and services that have higher ratings are perceived to have superior quality, better experience, better price-quality offers and so on and so forth. This example is very common with one online shopping on platforms such as Amazon, Zalando, eBay etc. From an academic perspective, institutions with better and more accreditations are also perceived to better and therefore ranked higher. These institutions are automatically preferred to schools with fewer accreditations or rankings. Credentials cannot be ignored when it concerns social proof. Typical examples could be attending top tier schools such as Harvard, obtaining a prestigious certification such the CFA Designation or even exceling in aerospace engineering. Such credentials give more leverage to its holders, who are perceived as more qualified and credible in certain situations. Furthermore, when a company decides to use a celebrity for the endorsement of a brand as a brand ambassador, the face of the brand and even a product commercial, this results in the association of these brands to the said celebrities by s. Fans of such celebrities may try the good or service just because the said celebrity is involved. Finally, social and word of mouth work practically hand in gloves. When people hear from actual person about a particular subject, they tend to at least give it a thought if not trust completely the person’s opinion. This is even more powerful when the person involved is known. The effect is even more explosive if the observer hears from not one but several people about the same product or service.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

3 Warren E Buffett Memorandum – Warren E Buffett (2006)

Farnam Street, (n.d), “Social Proof: Why We Should Look to Others For What We Should Think and Do”, retrieved from FS Blog: https://fs.blog/2009/09/mental-model-social-proof/ Wikipedia, (July, 6 2019), “Social Proof”, retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proof Robert. B Cialdini Ph.D., (1984), “Influence: Science and Practice”. Alexandra, (March 10, 2018), “What is the Social Proof Theory”, retrieved from The Psychology Notes HQ: https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/social-proof/ Warren E. Buffett, (September 27, 2006), “To Berkshire Hathaway Managers (The All Stars)”, Warren E. Buffet Memorandum. Bailey Richert, (n.d), “12 Types of Social Proof”, retrieved from Bailey Richert Blog: https://baileyrichert.com/12-types-of-social-proof.html Aleh Barysevich, (n.d), “The Psychology of Social Proof and Why it Makes Word-of-Mouth Marketing So Effective”, retrieved from Convince & Convert: https://www.convinceandconvert.com/word-ofmouth/social-proof/