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. Political, Economic, Cultural Leaders
Connections Between Elites and the Public
Political, Economic, Cultural Leaders
Contact
mechanisms:
-press events
-advertising
-reports
-buzz /viral
Perceptual
mechanisms:
-personal contact
-reading mail/
-monitor social media
-public opinion polls
-perceptions of opinion
Contact
mechanisms:
-personal contact
-letters/
-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
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. 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: B E G F C A
Self B C A
Self

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

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 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