Online Social Proof

Social proof, is a psychological phenomenon that occurs in social situations when people are unable to determine the appropriate mode of behavior. When we just don’t know enough information or when we’re trying to fit in we make an assumption that surrounding people possess more knowledge about the situation than we do. People generally believe that the behavior of other people is appropriate and follow their behavior. This is clearly illustrated in the famous cartoon above where just one person is standing on the street looking up. Soon another person joins him and before you know it there is a crowd of people wondering what it is they are looking at.

There are many examples of the law of social proof used throughout marketing. One such example is the laugh track used in sitcoms. The audience sitting at home watching hears laughing at precise moments as a mental reminder that the moment we have just seen is funny which essentially influences your perception of the show for good or bad. The interesting part of this phenomenon is that the principals of social proof have been transferred from direct person to person interaction as in the example above to a digital source that exerts the same influence.

The persuasive laws of social proof are not just limited to passive media as in television or limited to direct interaction. These same laws can be translated to a website and can have just as much impact and influence. An excellent example of online social proof is illustrated in the example above from Amazon.com. In this example, 86% of the customers viewing the exact product you’re considering buying right now have purchased this product and have also given it 4 and a half stars. If everyone else has purchased this, or at least the overwhelming majority of 86% and have been happy with it based on it’s user rating chances are I’m going to be happy with it also.