The science behind social proof on social media — why early momentum creates a multiplier effect

If your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it too?

Any Irish person of a certain vintage is likely to have heard that immortal line from an aghast mammy at some stage. Little does the Irish mammy know that she’s describing a psychological phenomenon.

Ever been in a classroom and someone walks into the room? One member of the class turns and looks, and without even thinking, the rest of the classroom does too.

Ever been at a rugby game when there’s a lull in the action? Then one slightly well oiled chap starts to sing a chant and the rest of the crowd join in.

This is ‘social proof’ at play. We’re evolutionarily hardwired to be group animals.

Here’s a great example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA8z7f7a2Pk

Herd instinct

This herd instinct is a legacy of our ancestors, when if one person started running because of perceived danger, it was probably better for you to do likewise, lest a wild animal catch you unaware. Those who acted differently than the group probably exited the gene pool.

That’s why in modern times, individuals feel that they are behaving correctly when they’re behaving the same as other people, particularly if it’s a large group of other people.

This is partly why crushes at big events are so nonsensically dangerous. Alone, each person in the crowd would be unlikely to start running because of some danger or a gate opening. But in a crowd, we’re reduced to our base state of following what others do. Social proof is also the reason why sects commit collective suicide, why the Nazis got into power and partly why financial bubbles occur.

So we know that this invisible power of peer pressure can warp common sense.

But in a world of social media, where we can follow what everyone, from celebrities to friends is doing at all times, social proof is also incredibly important to understand for marketers.

People like me

It’s never been easier to see what the group thinks in real time. Because most of what consumers or brands do online is actually layered on top of a voting system (favourite, RT, like, heart, review, comment) . That makes it far easier to see what ‘people like me’ like.

That’s also why Facebook’s advertising is so effective — showing those little avatars of your friends alongside a brand name gives increased credence to the brand.

This compulsion to do what the group does is also key part of the science of why things go viral. According to a fascinating NYT piece, peer pressure is hardwired into our brains, without us even knowing:

In an experiment, researchers asked teenagers to contribute some of Instagram photos, while scientists analysed their brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

As part of the experiment, the teens could also see how many likes had been given to each photo. Although the researchers had assigned the likes as part of the experiment, the teenagers were given the impression that the endorsements came from their peers.

When the youngsters viewed images that had a lot of likes, there was greater activity in neural regions of the brain involved with reward processing, social cognition, imitation and attention, researchers said, compared with neural reactions when the teens looked at photos with fewer likes.

The effect was magnified when they saw an image they themselves had contributed which had received a large number of likes, researchers said.

Teenagers were more likely to give a like to an image that had already gotten dozens of likes, even if it was a fairly banal picture of a plate of food or a pair of sunglasses. They were less apt to like the same kind of image if it had gotten few likes.

Basically, the respondents took their cues from whether others had liked the photo, rather than using their own opinion to make a decision.

The content was irrelevant, the social proof of other people liking it was all that matter.

Compound

So the more likes that a piece of content had already gotten, the more likely this activity was to compound and create a snowball effect.

Similarly, digital video analysts Unruly have released research that backs up the importance of early momentum. According to the brand, in 2013, around 10% of video views came in the first two days.

In 2014, around 18% of views happened by day two and in 2015, around 25%.

This may seem like a small point, but it’s actually revelatory. A similar thing happens on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tripadvisor and Reddit. It means that the content that brands put onto social channels must get early traction in order to be effective.

If not, then you lose all momentum, the social proof/herd effect is lost and no matter if the content is great or not, it’s seen by sub optimal amount of people.

Takeaways

So what are the key takeaways for marketers?

Firstly, support your content with advertising early in its lifecycle. Don’t wait to turn it on, have it ready to go when the video goes live.

Also, ensure that your content plan leaves room for reactivity, and also that you’re posting at the right time for your audience (Facebook insights tools will help here). More early likes serve as a social cue, orienting or alerting people to what is cool or socially appropriate. That’s why a certain Irish male media brand purchases thousands of fake Instagram followers when its entering new markets to give the illusion of group acceptance.

And most importantly, endorsements are incredibly powerful, if you get the right person endorsing. Irish consumers are the most cynical in Europe, but we do value the opinions of people like us. Consumer reviews are the second top online research channel after search engines, while a word of mouth recommendation from a friend or influencer is the second top method of brand discovery after T.V. Yet we rarely optimise for these channels of influence. Similarly, 35% of Irish consumers actively write reviews, so for a brand, getting the testimonial/social proof effect right can have a huge impact on your bottom line.