Sunday, October 31, 2010
Why do we follow others examples?
After watching the Yes Men video and witnessing the influence they have on the people that they are hoaxing, I thought about a video that I viewed in a psychology class a couple years ago. This video shows how when other people are doing something around us, we easily conform so that we do not feel like the outsider. This video is rather funny, but it represents a very serious issue. Although it is a very old video from candid camera, it seems to ring just as true today. Our world today gives so much proof that we live afraid of being alienated by fellow peers. The norms that develop because of this reason are not always healthy and can really have a negative impact on people. The classic statement of "would you jump off a bridge if your friend jumped off a bridge first" is much truer than we like to believe. Many people will simply express themselves in a way that others are used to or ways that they know will portray them in a light that may not reflect their actual personality. It is scary to see how individuality is skewed to create unhealthy interactions.
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I guess people never really do change, and I agree this highlights a pretty serious issue that, to my knowledge, just seems to be looked over by sociologists and psychologists. It makes me question the legitimacy of just about every cause people rally behind. And if being in a group causes people to all act in accordance with a behavior, who's determining what behavior should be followed? Clearly the people running the experiment in the video had planned how they would act, but who's pulling the strings in real situations? Kind of a scary thought.
ReplyDeleteI thought this video was pretty funny. I feel that this can also translate to online qualities. I feel people portray different images of themselves online in order to mimic other users. The opposite could also be said about people being unique online as well.
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