Journalism 614: Social Influence & Networks

1. Journalism 614:Social Influence & Networks

2. 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

3. 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

4. Connections Between Elites and the Public Political, Economic, Cultural Leaders Contact mechanisms: -press events -advertising -reports -buzz /viral Perceptual mechanisms: -personal contact -reading mail/email -monitor social media -public opinion polls -perceptions of opinion Contact mechanisms: -personal contact -letters/email -social media production -feedback to mass media -opinion polls Perceptual mechanisms: -media coverage -commericals -personal contact -interpersonal talk Public

5. Macro-social Perspective Social Forces Public Opinion Social Consequences * Two types of macro-social questions….

6. Social Antecedents Social Forces Public Opinion * How do social factors shape opinions?

7. Social Effects Public Opinion Social Consequences • What kinds of effects does public • opinion have on society?

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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?

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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?

17. 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

18. A A B C Self Self E F B C G Social Networks – Size • Large networks are those in which one has many discussion partners: • Small networks are those in which one has few discussion partners:

19. A A B Self C B Self C D D Social Networks - Heterogeneity • Heterogeneous networks feature diverse discussion partners • Homogeneous networks feature similar discussion partners

20. 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’

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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