• The Bandwagon Effect: Who chooses what?

Have you ever support a group, political party, movement, or a trend because of its popularity? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. People call this situation the Bandwagon Effect. Sometimes we just have no idea what is going on, but we always try to keep up. That is why we listen to the majority and approve of their opinions. The question is, how does acting this way affect us?
We have several different scenarios ahead of us. First of all, if we have no idea about the situation, the majority can a crucial impact on us to decide and choose what is right. People in this situation are usually the part that moves entirely unconsciously. This group consists of individuals who do not contribute to society about the topic and do not have their attitude and opinion. It means that some bandwagons live someone else’s life with foreign ideas and choices. I am sure this has happened to most of us. Being a bandwagon can make people feel ineffective and inefficient in society sometimes. The way out of this situation is to increase the interest in the environment and events. In this way, we start to think about what is going on. The most important thing, we start to build our personality and shape our ideas, character, etc. Our existence becomes meaningful.

The second case is a little bit different from the first one. People sometimes join the herd just to be accepted into society. They disregard or hide their own opinions. Sometimes they have so little confidence in their ideas that they do not even dare to defend or stand behind them. In these situations, they are very ready to be persuaded. If we go back to our question, how does this behavior affect us? Regarding one’s own views as less valuable than other people’s causes him to lose his self-esteem and self-confidence. Think a little bit about that. How tolerable do you think it is to not exist with your own identity?

Finally, I would like to talk about people who are not bandwagons but are seen this way. This case often occurs when people’s tastes match popular trends. When individuals see negative reactions from any group in such situations, they can stand up to their favorite trends. Maybe they give up listening to their favorite music band or change their soccer team. Sometimes they even denigrate it.

I just want to say that people should live with their ideas and tastes. They shouldn’t be afraid of it. I am a big fan of the Golden State Warriors which is one of the best NBA teams, and I am not a bandwagon just because I started to support them when they started to win and gain popularity. It was just a coincidence. They are losers for 2–3 years, and I am still proud of my team. I am trying to say that let neither the popular trends nor the majority decide for you. Because while we all have separate personalities, we complement each other.