Journalism 614:
Social Influence & Networks
Levels of Analysis
 Micro: (psychological):
– Individual-level phenomena
– Explanations: derived from individual differences
 Meso: (social-psychological / social-relational)
– Interactions between individuals
– E.g., dyads and social networks
 Macro: (social-structural):
– Societal-level phenomena
– Explanations: derived from group/social differences
Social Psychology of Opinion
 Mixes elements of:
– Psychology (micro) and sociology (macro)
 Psychological aspects:
– Methods: Experiments and Interviews
– Focus: cognition, perceptions, attitudes
 Sociological aspects:
– Methods: Surveys and Observation
– Focus: Group influence, norms
Connections Between Elites and the Public
Political, Economic, Cultural Leaders
Contact
mechanisms:
-press events
Perceptual
mechanisms:
-personal contact
-reading mail/email
-monitor social media
-public opinion polls
-perceptions of opinion
-advertising
-reports
-buzz /viral
Contact
mechanisms:
Perceptual
mechanisms:
-media coverage
-personal contact
-letters/email
-social media production
-feedback to mass media
-opinion polls
-commericals
-personal contact
-interpersonal talk
Public
Macro-social Perspective
Social Forces
Public Opinion
Social Consequences
* Two types of macro-social questions….
Social Antecedents
Social Forces
Public Opinion
* How do social factors shape opinions?
Social Effects
Public Opinion
Social Consequences
•What kinds of effects does public
opinion have on society?
Social Forces & Opinion
 Influence of culture, social norms
 Influence of conformity/compliance
 Influence of social networks/social circle
 Influence of group affiliations/memberships
 Influence of major social events
Opinion & Social Consequences
 Effects on politics and society
– Elections and policy development
– Social movements and activism
 Effects on consumption and economy
– Consumer confidence and buying
– Political consumerism and products
 Effects on changing social norms
Research on Social Influence
 Considers effects of group settings on:
– attitudes, opinion expression, behavior
 Largely based on experimental research
 Stems in part from interest in compliance
and obedience to authority in WWII
– Asch – conformity experiment
– Milgram – compliance experiment
– Zimbardo – authority experiment
Asch’s Conformity Experiment
 Unambiguous situation
 Small group setting (10-12)
 Uniform incorrect assessment
 Nearly 1/3 concur with incorrect assessment
 What is the nature of the effect?:
– Perception?
– Opinion expression?
Conformity vs. Conversion
 Conformity:
– Agreeing publicly with majority opinion
• independent of own view
– Going along with the group
– Pressure toward unanimity
 Conversion:
– Privately adopting new view
– Opinion expressed and acted upon
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment
 Design (set up as a learning study)
– Subject (teacher) and Actor (learner)
 Teacher administers shocks for mistakes
– Shocks get dangerously high
– Student grunts, shouts, screams, falls silent
– 65% continue to highest level when prodded
Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment
 Dramatic simulation of prison life conducted in
1971 at Stanford University
 Planned two week full role-playing by college
students randomly assigned as guards or prisoners
– Had to be ended after just six days
 In only a few days, guards became sadistic, torture
prisoners, prisoners became anxious/depressed
 Evidence of the role of authority, group divisions,
obedience, and how easily we fall into group roles
Other Factors in Group Influence
 Social comparison
– Opinions vary depending on perceptions of:
• Self in relation to various reference groups
• Who do I compare myself to?
 Social categorization:
– Individual opinions influenced by:
• Group membership - race, gender
• Assigned social roles - profession
• Social positions within groups and society
Social Influence on Opinion
 Early voting studies (Lazarsfeld et al.)
found strong social influence
 Two-stage model:
Media  opinion leader  average citizen
 Emergence of social network theories
– Importance of opinion leaders
– Who are the influencers?
Social Networks – Concepts
 Network composed of interpersonal ties to
conversational partners
 Ties can be of varying strength
 Shape of network changes by topic
– One’s political discussion network is likely
different from one’s sports talk network
 Opinion leaders vary by topic too
Social Networks – Size
 Large networks are those  Small networks are
in which one has many
discussion partners:
those in which one has
few discussion partners:
A
B
A
C
Self
E
Self
F
G
B
C
Social Networks - Heterogeneity
 Heterogeneous
 Homogeneous networks
networks feature diverse feature similar
discussion partners
discussion partners
A
A
B
Self
D
C
B
Self
D
C
The importance of talk
 How does talk shape opinions?:
– Allows exchange of information
– Provides exposure to alternate views
– Prompts reflection on opinions, information
– Gives cues about broadly held views
– Forms central act of ‘public sphere’
Frequency of talk
 High frequency of talk linked to:
– higher levels of political interest
– Higher levels of social participation
 High frequency of talk is linked to:
– More consistent opinions
– More complex opinions
– Better informed opinions
Diversity of talk
 Network heterogeneity leads to:
– Diversity of talk
 Diversity of talk promotes:
– Greater tolerance
 Diversity of talk is linked to:
– More consistent opinions
– More complex opinions
– Better informed opinions
 Effects on participation are less clear
Promise and Perils
 Social influence and social networks have
both positive and negative consequences
– Social influence encourages conformity and
compliance, often in dangerous ways
– Social networks and conversation encourage
learning, sophistication, tolerance, and action
– Need to consider how group influences,
especially opinion leaders, are central to this