MJD Management Group

All of us know that social influence is pervasive in every aspect of our lives.  There are several new studies which provide insight into social influence in online systems.

The authors of the Proceeding National Academy of Social Academy of the United States (PNAS) have asserted in there research however there are unusual “bandwagon effects” where popularity of a download hits a threshold where it can skyrocket. This is reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwells’s “tipping -point” premise from his book, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.”

The popularity threshold of a download can skyrocket through independent action by a user and without outside influence like in the non online world or the real world (why am I having Matrix flashbacks as I write this post).  I have provided a link to the PNAS abstract for their article, “Spontaneous emergency of social influence in online systems” along with supporting information.

The researchers (Jukka-Pekka Onnela and Felix Reed-Tsochas) gathered data in mid-2007 and used apps whose downloads were advertised to the Facebook community and user’s apps were visible to friends and the friends were notified when an app was downloaded that the unusual “bandwagon effect” occurred (Facebook no longer provides this information).  We see this in the Itunes store, where popularity indexes drive free downloads.

So, what does this mean? First, the popularity threshold is influenced by the choices of others particularly friends who we trust.  Second, the behavior by all of us is only influenced by the choices of our online friends. This research is consistent with Social Media statistics about the influence of friends recommendations on brands in the +80% range.

Why do you think we as users are so heavily and solely influenced by the choices of friends?

When the online era took off, didn’t many of us believe that this was the medium in which we could express our unique individuality and find what uniquely appeals to us?

Check out BBC News Science & Environment article Facebook app downloads show  unique “bandwagon effect”

2 Responses to “Facebook, Bandwagon Effect and The Tipping Point”