One of the most interesting phenomenon about human behavior is the concept of 'social proof' - the assumption that, in an unknown situation, other people around you will know more than you do. As a result, you tend to ape what they do to fit in. In essence, this speaks to the overall gullibility of people and willingness to save face in a social situation - instead of admitting that they do not know what to do or what actions mean in certain situations, they will play it off like they know what they are doing. However, this will often get people in trouble, if they are not too careful. Given the various writings on the subject from Fripp and Cialdini, it is clear that businesses and savvy entrepreneurs can take advantage of this need for social proof to benefit from those who just want to look like they know what is going on.
In the case of Patricia Fripp, she discusses the phenomenon of people automatically saying 'yes' to get through uncomfortable or unknown social situations. Often, it is said to be the case that people will say 'yes' first before thinking, just to get it the request out of the way and to seem accommodating. When entering a social situation one does not know, one assumes that they know the rules. What's worse, you do not want to seem rude by saying no. As a result, people are much more willing to say 'yes' to make sure people's feelings are not hurt. However, there are also people who are conditioned to say 'no,' and Fripp wishes to focus on those people in order to get more 'yes'es.
The phenomenon of social proof is also found in Robert Cialdini's phenomenon of reciprocation; according to him, one tactic that can be exploited to get greater attention from people is to create the expectation of 'quid pro quo,' where people return favors, even if the favor is calculated. When people see someone do something for them, whether or not it is solicited (or even accepted), people will go out of their way to return that favor even if it is not asked. It is a brilliant way to bait people into contributing to a cause or buying something they otherwise would not have; after all, in their minds, you went to a lot of trouble for them - they should do the same.
This kind of phenomenon is very much part of my experience - coming from a foreign country, it took me awhile to grasp the concepts of how to behave in America. Therefore, I would simply imitate the people around me in various situations; when checking out at the grocery store, hailing a cab, and even getting on the bus. Often, this was difficult; sometimes what I thought was a social nicety was in fact an insult, and my awkwardness was evident around them. Instead of showing just how scared and nervous I was, I had to instead learn to walk and talk like Americans do - I would straighten my shoulders, look ahead, try not to look at other people's eyes too much, etc. All of these things were examples of my taking from American behavior to try and figure out how I was supposed to behave.
These writers discuss the concept of social proof from a business perspective, indicating that the phenomenon is a social constant found in many people, and I must admit that it is quite true. Often, we will get in trouble by not looking before we leap; more than anything, we are concerned with being polite, being nice, and doing well to our fellow man. While this is not intrinsically wrong per se, it can be a little manipulative when it is deliberately being done to someone. Despite the ethically grey nature of preying on the gullible, it must be said that it teaches a valuable lesson in not being afraid to ask for help in new situations. Instead of not wanting to seem stupid or naive, people should be trained to think critically about their own situations and not follow along with the crowd out of fear.
Works Cited
Cialdini, Robert. "Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take - And Take."
Fripp, Patricia. "Six Weapons of Influence: Why Do People Say Yes?"
