This interactive workshop introduces participants to several key theories from social psychology and sociology in order to demonstrate how science can be used to design engaging social media applications and campaigns. The content is presented in a simple format that makes key linkages between our daily social lives and the social world in social media. During the workshop, participants have a chance to learn a number of theories, see examples of how they play out online, and then join a group analysis on the social psychology employed by a number of social media sites and mobile apps. Questions Answered: 1. What are some of the most popular theories from social psychology that I can leverage to build more persuasive social applications or run more engaging social media campaigns? 2. What’s social influence and how can it help me? How about six-degrees of separation? And what about the strengths of weak ties? 3. Where did all this hype about “influencers” come from and what’s up with the obsession over social metrics? Are they real or just marketing hype? 4. Is it true that all the top websites in the world are driven by social algorithms? 5. What’s the difference between interpersonal persuasion and social influence? Based on this top paper from a world leading scientific journal: http://www.jmir.org/2011/1/e17/

1. Social Psychology of
Social Media
Brian Cugelman, PhD
Online strategy and research consultant
@cugelman
Ryerson University
Toronto, Canada
25 Feb 2012

2. AGENDA
1. We're Social Animals, However We Connect
2. Digital Persuasion Equation
3. Eight Spheres of Digital Influence
4. Social Contexts, Offline & Online, Private & Public
5. In-depth Look at Sphere Eight: Social Context
6. Leveraging Social Context Factors for Social Design
7. Crowdsourced Analysis
2

3. WE'RE SOCIAL ANIMALS, HOWEVER
WE CONNECT
3

4. MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
How many of
these needs can
we satisfy
without others?
4

5. SHIFTING VIEWS ON THE INTERNET & SOCIAL
RELATIONSHIPS
Before 2006 Beyond 2006
• Internet keeps people at • Pew Study, The Strength of
home, away from friends and Internet Ties shows the net
family enhances social relations
• The Internet is destroying • Texting helps long-distance
relationships couples stay connected
(sexting too)
• Using the Internet is anti-
social • Mobile phones for teens are
not phones anymore, they're a
social lifeline
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6. A QUICK POLL
• Have you ever donated to a cause, because the
organization needed a bit more money to reach
their funding goal?
• Have you ever purchased a product because of
top star ratings? How about one star?
• Have you ever changed your views on an issue
because of an online discussion?
6

7. ASCH SOCIAL CONFORMITY EXPERIMENT (1958)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA
7

8. THE SPREAD OF OBESITY IN A LARGE SOCIAL
NETWORK OVER 32 YEARS
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa066082 8

9. DIGITAL PERSUASION EQUATION
9

10. DIGITAL PERSUASION EQUATION
Click
+ + + Here =
Motivation Ability & Persuasive Trigger Change
Efficacy Experiences
(8 spheres of digital
influence)
10

11. CHANGE + + +
Click
Here =
Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Efficacy Trigger Change
Experiences
• Agreeing to something - Saying “yes”
• Buying more widgets
• Increasing support for a social cause
• Losing trust in a politician
• Deciding to quit smoking
11

12. HOW CHANGE Click
+ + + =
HAPPENS Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Here
Trigger Change
Efficacy Experiences
Beliefs Attitudes Behaviours
Not necessarily in this order.
Behaviour can shape attitudes, and attitudes can shape beliefs.
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13. MOTIVATION + + +
Click
Here =
Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Efficacy Trigger Change
Experiences
Value proposition
(-) Demotivaror:
Costs, disincentives,
barriers, effort
(+) Motivator:
Goals, carrots,
benefit, drivers
Behaviour is more likely when
motivators outweigh demotivators
13

14. ABILITY & Click
+ + + =
EFFICACY Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Here
Trigger Change
Efficacy Experiences
Ability or self-efficacy dictate what you
will and won't do
Ability Self-efficacy
What you can or What you believe
can't do you can or can't do
Skill Confidence
Learned helplessness
14

15. TRIGGER Click
+ + + =
(COVERT) Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Here
Trigger Change
Efficacy Experiences
Triggering chickens Triggering humans
with recordings of with recordings of
chicks chirping people laughing
(canned laughter)
Chicken acts friendly People laugh longer and
towards a threat harder, even at bad jokes
Trigger. Reaction.
15

16. TRIGGER Click
+ + + =
(OVERT) Motivation Ability & Persuasive
Here
Trigger Change
Efficacy Experiences
Call to action (CTA)
Act now while Prompt
quantities last.
Request
Offer
Proposal
Download your Sales pitch
free report
You were poked by Bob.
Click Here Poke Bob back!
"Wow! That shirt makes you look
20 years younger. Would you like
to pay by cash or credit?"
Click on this link now!

17. EIGHT SPHERES OF DIGITAL
INFLUENCE
17

18. PERSUASIVE + + +
Click
Here =
COMMUNICATION Motivation Ability &
Efficacy
Persuasive
Experiences
Trigger Change
MODEL
This system can integrate hundreds of influence components,
but we'll just focus on the eight spheres.
Cugelman, B., Thelwall, M., & Dawes, P. (2009). Communication-Based Influence
Components Model. Paper presented at the Persuasive 2009, Claremont.

19. 1. SOURCE
What it is: Key principles:
•The person, organization, •Appealing to source
or group behind a website, credibility boosts
social media profile, ad, or persuasiveness
message
•Build on the three
components of credibility:
1. Expertise
2. Trustworthiness
3. Visual appeal
19

20. WHICH PHOTO CAN INCREASE
TEXT CREDIBILITY?
No photo
NGUYEN, H. & MASTHOFF, J. (2007) Is it me or what I say? Source image and persuasion. Persuasive 07. Springer.

21. CREDIBILITY AND IMAGERY
Photo Goodwill Trust
High credibility Higher Higher
No photo Middle Middle
Low credibility Lower Lower
Readers perceptions of text credibility
is influenced by photo credibility
Don't underestimate the contribution of visuals
towards perceived credibility
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22. Featured by X, Y, Z.
Low credibility websites can borrow credibility from higher credibility sources.
22

23. 2. MESSAGE ENCODING AND
DECODING
What it is: Key principles:
•How you express an idea •How you express
and how the person something can strengthen
interprets it or weaken what you say
•Expression can be spoken, •Encode messages so the
written, symbolic audience can rapidly
understand them
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24. 24

25. Place the CTA where
most eyes land

26. 3. MEDIA CHANNEL
What it is: Key principles:
•The various media used to •Select the media channels
express something most suited to your target
audience
•Eg. Written words, spoken
dialogue, photos, video, •Make it easy for them
interactive websites, email engage with the media
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27. 27

28. 4. AUDIENCE
What it is: Key principles:
•The person or organization •Understand your
you are trying to engage audiences' motivations and
and influence psychological hot buttons
•It comprises their •Frame interaction around
demographics, traits, and motivations and leverage
psychology hot buttons
28

29. HOW THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 30 HEALTH CHANGING
WEBSITES INFLUENCES USERS' BEHAVIOUR
d
CUGELMAN, B., THELWALL, M., & DAWES, P. (2011) Online interventions for social marketing health
behavior change campaigns: A meta-analysis of psychological architectures and adherence factors.
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 13(1), e17.
http://www.jmir.org/2011/1/e17/
29

30. 5. FEEDBACK ENCODING AND
DECODING
What it is: Key principles:
•How the audience •Automate data collection
expresses and transmits whenever possible
their feedback to you, and
how you interpret it •Incentivize requests for
user information
•Some of this is contributed
voluntarily, but most is •Just get what you need
encoded automatically initially, then incentive
data collection over time
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31. 31

32. 32

33. 6. FEEDBACK MESSAGE
What it is: Key principles:
•The information an •Leverage user data to
audience shares with the tailor personalized and
source that is used to tailor relevant messages
messages
•In other words, any data •Mine trends among
collected about a user that populations to build
is processed and acted processes that help
upon individuals
•This is the foundation for
relationship building
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34. 34

35. 35

36. 7. INTERVENTION MESSAGE
What it is: Key principles:
•What you express or do •Build your messages
around your audiences'
•In other words, the motivation, make it easy,
tangible communication or and leverage persuasion
action you express to an
audience •Research will help you
identify the influence
components that matter
36

37. 8. SOCIAL CONTEXT
What it is: Key principles:
•The social environment in •Demonstrate group
which a relationship occurs behaviour to leverage social
norms and pressures
•This includes society,
whether virtual or "real" •Play on our competitive
nature and scarcity
The rest of this presentation
will only look at this sphere.
37

38. SOCIAL CONTEXTS, OFFLINE &
ONLINE, PRIVATE & PUBLIC
38

39. SOCIAL CONTEXTS
Offline Online
Classroom E-learning platform
Shouting out to people on the street Twitter
Sharing thoughts with friends during
Sharing thoughts Facebook
a night out
Academic conference networking Email discussion group
39

40. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SPACES
Private
Controlled Public
Access
Twitter
Facebook
SMS (txting) Lined in
Discussion group
Email
40

41. PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC CONCERNS
With a group of In a large complex
Living alone on a
close & trusted social environment
desert island
friends (school or work)
Care about your
Probably not Possibly Probably
looks?
Worry about your Probably not
Possibly Probably
social status?
Care what others
Possibly Possibly Probably
think?
Willingness to say
whatever you Probably Probably not
think?
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42. SURVEILLANCE:
MAKING PRIVATE MOMENTS PUBLIC
Research bias Crime prevention
Socially desirable Deterrence
answers
Surfing the net
Employability
at work
Never posting
Cautious about
anything that could Cameras | Internet usage
the sites we visit tracking | Friends posting &
harm our reputation tagging your photo on Facebook.
70% of employers have rejected Surveillance moves us from a
applicants due to online information. private to a public social context.
42

43. IN-DEPTH LOOK AT SPHERE EIGHT:
SOCIAL CONTEXT
43

44. CHANGE AGENTS:
INTERPERSONAL & SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Interpersonal influence Social proof
The persuasive experience resulting from The principle that we determine what's
one-on-one interaction. correct by following what other people
show to be correct.
44

45. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN
PERSUADED OF SOMETHING
BECAUSE OF SOCIAL PROOF?
45

46. SOCIAL PROOF EXAMPLES
• A 10 out of 10 star produce is rated 500 times.
No doubt, it must be amazing.
• A nightclub forces people to line-up outside for
hours. If they're enduring that to get in, it must
be great.
• The "most popular" download software must be
the "best".
46

47. SOCIAL PROOF AND DONATIONS
Opaque: people Empty: people Primed: Starter
can't see the don't see the social tips show people
social norm norm in action what to do
Donations Donations Donations
www.socialmediacafe.ca www.socialmediacafe.ca www.socialmediacafe.ca
$1.50 $50 +
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48. MODELLING BEHAVIOUR
48

49. 49

50. DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS: HOW THINGS SPREAD
Opinion
Leaders
ROGERS, E. (2003) Diffusion of innovations. (5 ed.). New York: Free Press.
50

51. ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION
1
2
3
Media Channel
4
5
Older, eroded model
51

52. TWO-STEP COMMUNICATION FLOW
1
2
3
Media Channel
4
5
Opinion Leader
Kats and Lazerfeld (1955)
52

53. MULTI-STEP COMMUNICATION FLOW
1
2
3
Media Channel
Supporter
4 + Opinion
Opponent Leader
- 5
Opinion
Leader
Slightly updated model
Opinion Leaders

54. VIRAL
DIFFUSION

55. SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS AND INFLUENCE
Common influence metrics
•Degree Centrality
•Closeness
•Betweenness
•Coreness 55

56. TOP WEBSITES ARE SOCIAL OR USE SOCIAL
ALGORITHMS
1. Google (Search)
2. Facebook (Social media)
3. YouTube (Social media)
4. Yahoo! (Search) •5 Search
5. Windows Live (Search)
6. Baidu.com (Search)
•5 Social media
7. Wikipedia (Social media)
8. Blogger.com (Social media)
9. Twitter (Social media)
10. QQ.COM (Search) Based on Alexa ranking retrieved 12 Oct 2010
56

57. THESAME RECOMMENDATION CAN SPREAD AS
TRUSTED ADVICE OR SPAM
Trusted Dishonest
recommendation marketing spam
I don't like
spam!
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE
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58. CREDIBILITY ASSESSMENT AND ACTIVE TRUST
Credibility How recommendations
perception are regarded
1. Advice from a
trusted expert High Valuable advice
2. Advice from a Promising, but
trusted person, but Medium not fully
not an expert trustworthy
3. Advice from an
unknown source Low Marketing spam
A study on how source credibility and trust relate to user behaviour: Cugelman, B., Thelwall, M. & Dawes, P. (2009) The
dimensions of website credibility and their relation to active trust and behavioural impact. Communications of the Association for
Information Systems. http://wlv.openrepository.com/wlv/bitstream/2436/85974/4/Cugelman_2009_website_credibility.pdf
58

59. SPAMMING REDUCES DIFFUSION
Dishonest spamming techniques undermine viral diffusion
Differential Adaptive Diffusion: Understanding Diversity
and Learning Whom to Trust in Viral Marketing
59

60. 60

61. http://db.tt/kbT8BYY 61

62. SCARCITY
People assign more value to
things that are less available.
“I don’t want
to belong to
any club that
will accept
people like me
as a member.”
Groucho Marx
62

63. LEVERAGING SOCIAL CONTEXT
FACTORS FOR SOCIAL DESIGN
63

64. FROM SUPPER TO SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Burger and fries Chicken Burger Chicken Salad
Bun  
Beef patty 
Chicken breast  
Fries  
Salad 
64

65. FROM SUPPER TO SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Beliefs Attitudes Behaviours
Pay influencers to push
your idea  
Testimonials from
trusted experts  
Show how popular it is  
Incentivize personal
affiliate marketing  
Make it rare and time
bound 
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66. PSYCHOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Above the surface
• What you see and experience
• The total effect
Below the surface
• Social proof
• Modelling behaviour
• Influencer endorsement
• Viral spread leveraging
social trust
• Scarcity
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67. BEWARE OF UNETHICAL ABUSES OF SOCIAL
INFLUENCE
• Fake positive testimonials
• Fake negative ratings of competitor products
• Tricking people into inviting their friends to join
social networks
• Affiliate marketing portals that masquerade as
impartial and honest advisors
• An important email from a fried, which is really
a virus exploiting your social trust
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68. CROWDSOURCED ANALYSIS
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70. 70

71. 71

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73. 73

74. THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS PRESENTATION
This presentation is based on a multi-year study of online influence,
that was published in the world's leading scientific journal
on eHealth, mHealth and medical informatics.
Get the study here:
http://www.jmir.org/2011/1/e17/
74

75. Brian Cugelman, PhD
Online strategy and research consultant
Want to leverage psychology to
make your websites, campaigns,
or digital products more engaging
and persuasive? Get in touch.
www.alterspark.com
@AlterSpark alterspark alterspark alterspark
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