1. Introduction to Social Influence: Why It Matters
What Is Social Influence?
This is the story of the rise in the power of social influence as it applies to consumers and sustainability. The underlying premise is that sustainable behavior is a desirable goal for all of us, a positive striving toward the future. We want better lives, healthier outlooks, and improved well-being. These can not really be effectively discussed without including personal and collective consumption behaviors (Mick et al. ).
Sustainable behavior is a multidimensional concept that includes behaviors such as conservation of natural resources through efficient use, recycling, purchase and use of green products, and other behaviors that preserve the natural environment including air and water quality. One means of promoting these desirable behaviors is the use of social influence, that is, the influence that people have over other people. Social influence is how one person or group affects anothers opinions, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors. It is part of the broad content area of social sciences. One group of social influencers is called digital influencers . These are people with a voice and loyal following on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace, Pinterest, blogs, Instagram, and other social networks.
Consumers are individuals or groups, such as families who obtain, use, maintain, and dispose of products and services to increase life satisfaction and fulfill needs (Goldsmith ).
The most widely recognized definition of sustainability comes from the Brundtland Report () which states that sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is often described as a three-legged stool with these legs:
Economic
Cultural
Environmental
All three legs will be covered in the book and additional definitions of sustainability will be given. Digital influencers have shaken up the conventional ways of influencing others whether about sustainability or other topics. Consider the case study of Jen Hsieh who is a fashion influencer through her blog.
Case Study: Digital Influencer Jen Hsieh
Jen Hsieh ducked out of the office at lunchtime last Friday and took the crosstown bus to Kate Spades presentation during New York Fashion Week. Ms. Hsieh, 22, has a full-time job at a social-media agency as well as her own personal style blog on the sideand it was the latter that got her the coveted chance to preview the designers spring collection.
Ms. Hsieh spent about an hour taking pictures from all angles in the space, which was decked out like a garden party. That evening, she posted 27 flattering photos of the preppy clothes and accessories to her blog, which quickly drew praise. I seriously want THIS ENTIRE COLLECTION, one commentator wrote, to which Ms. Hseih responded I had to keep myself from drooling.
The Kate Spade invitation, Ms. Hsiehs first official fashion week invite, came through Fohr Card, a database that matches fashion brands and bloggers. Brands are using Fohr Card to identify new digital influencers
Source: Elizabeth Holmes (September 11, 2013). The New Style Influencers. The Wall Street Journal , D 1.
In the case study, one might wonder how or why an established well-known company such as Kate Spade would invite a blogger to a fashion event. It turns out that influencers with a small reach can be a big deal because that reach is deep, to the devoted, to the most likely to buy. Many influencers carve out a niche, whether expertise in a product type or a loyal regional following, and are paid with fees or freebies, sometimes without transparent disclosure (Holmes , p. D1). Also in the case study, Fohr Card is mentioned. It is a company with two founders, James Nord and Rich Tong, who in less than a year became well-known as researchers of influencers using statistics such as website traffic or followers on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbir, and Instagram which measure an influencers reach. For example, using metrics the company can measure the number of likes on Facebook or Instagram. Brands pay to login to the database. Later in this book, we will talk about Klout and other companies who measure influencers.
Social influence can take a variety of forms such as persuasion, conformity, motivation, compliance (responding favorably, going along), performance, obedience, leadership, and information exchange. It is applied to many fields including consumer behavior, sales, marketing, education, public health, environmental studies, anthropology, political science, public opinion studies, family relations, child development, communication, psychology, and sociology. As a practical example, in the United States, a first-time bride may conform to tradition or social pressure by wearing a long white wedding dress but show reactance (need to not conform or need for freedom) by wearing flip flops or cowboy boots with it.
Social influence can be categorized into these four main types:
Imitation from observations. We observe how others behave such as what they eat, what they wear.
Formal, from authoritative sources or as a result of advice seeking.
Information from word of mouth, caught conversations, and informal listening.
Social groups such as membership in clubs, families, organizations, networks, institutions, and workplaces. These can be commercial such as membership in Costco or Sams Club or frequent user or loyalty reward programs offered by hotels, stores, restaurants, and airlines.
Critical Thinking: Commercial Clubs
Do you think commercial clubs such as Costco or Sams Club or fitness centers take advantage of our need to belong? By charging money for selling goods and services can they still be considered clubs? Or, is this simply smart marketing and a label or practice that we accept?
To be human is to be social according to Aronson () which is about the importance of communication in groups.
Anthropologists report that hundreds of thousands of years ago humans lived in small groups and spent most of their waking hours foraging for food. They communicated to each other where the food was and there were group leaders. Most of us today know where to find food but there are food channels on television telling us how to find unique ingredients or how to prepare food better. There are leading chefs who rise and fall in their popularity. Our friends or co-workers may tell us where a new restaurant is or how good it is. An example is when Sara received a call inviting her to a Girls Night Out at a restaurant that just opened.
