How other people and ratings influence your actions

“Opinions don’t matter to me, I don’t look at the ratings.”

When you go to watch a movie, do you review what people have said about it?

If you do, would you pay money to see a movie that has gotten bad ratings? How about a free movie?

This post is not about watching movies, this post is about social influence, how it shapes your buying behavior and how you are hard-wired and become addicted to listening to the other person, even if you don’t trust them.

When it comes to social influence, Herbert Kelman, Robert Cialdini, and Jonah Berger are just some of the expert that come to mind on this topic.

The consensus is that there is a social influence that spreads like a virus. It is usually invisible, however, when you understand the power of influence it becomes very transparent.

Social influence has spread far and wide through the realms of social media. What people say can either matter a lot or not at all. It happens so quickly that you can never pinpoint where the spread began.

Boundaries are being redrawn that expand beyond your imagination and beliefs.

You no longer need to think for yourself as others are doing the thinking for you.

A majority consensus overpowers the minority.

So, you want to be a rebel, you want to turn your backs on what others think. It’s not as easy as you think. And it might just make you more uncomfortable doing so.

“Mimicry is a fundamental aspect of life.” The Social Organism by Oliver Luckett.

When you think about movie ratings you are not thinking life or death scenarios. But how about when you choose to eat a wild berry or jump off a bridge.

Are you deciding not to do this because it’s the right thing not to do? Or are you deciding not to do this because you been warned by others that it’s not safe?

“We are constantly looking for a certain order, seeking to recognize consistent, predictable patterns; that way we can make sense of the signals in our environment and respond accordingly.”

You have mastered pattern recognition how do I know that? Because you gravitate towards what you understand and know. You shy away from the unknown. You think to yourself it just feels right.

Whether this is happening consciously or subconsciously it is up to you to decide that what you pay attention to is, in fact, your truth, and not the truth constructed by others.

When you know the strategic influence that is being deployed by sales people or by movie ratings, it isn’t construed to trick you. It is meant to make you think a little harder, and make you either be a part of the organism or be the pathogen that curiously observes and experiments.

What I should warn you is that when your friend’s like something and strongly believe in something, unless you keep an open mind, and “opinions don’t matter to you.” You will be led to believe that this is right for you even when it isn’t. Whether it be a doctor you decide to do a check up with or a movie that you go to watch.

Friend’s opinions are the most powerful because they are the closest to you.

The further that opinion is from you, the less likely it will have a weight bearing over you.

Unless of course, you compare something within the same industry, like a pet grooming company. One that has good ratings versus another that have terrible ratings.

There are two things to take away here.

1. 1) Things that will .... I will have to stop you here, come finish where it was originally published karasingroup.com