Does Social Media Lead To Social Conformity?

Summary

In this video, Myles Bess explores the impact of social media on individuality and conformity. He discusses how our innate desire for social acceptance can lead to conformity, influenced by trends and social media's tendency to promote popular content in a loop. The script highlights psychological concepts like groupthink and the bystander effect, and how they play out on platforms. Myles also talks to high schoolers about their experiences with conformity and identity on social media, suggesting that while it can encourage mimicry, it can also be a tool for self-expression and finding one's authentic interests.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Social media trends can influence our behavior and decisions, often leading to conformity.
• 🤔 The desire for social acceptance drives people to conform to popular trends to gain likes and approval.
• 🧠 Conformity is a deep-seated human trait, rooted in our brains and early behaviors like mimicking others.
• 🚦 Society relies on conformity for order and structure, such as following traffic rules and social norms.
• 👀 Conformity can lead to negative outcomes like peer pressure and the bystander effect, where individuals go along with the crowd to avoid standing out.
• 🧪 Research shows that when people feel they don't belong, areas of the brain related to anxiety and unease activate, prompting a desire to conform.
• 📈 Social media algorithms can create echo chambers, reinforcing existing beliefs and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.
• 🌟 Despite pressures to conform, social media can also be a platform for individuals to express their unique identities and find communities that align with their values.
• 🔍 The concept of 'reflected appraisal' on social media means that individuals may shape their self-perception based on how they believe others perceive them.
• 💬 Authenticity on social media is possible, allowing individuals to share their true selves and interests rather than what is dictated by algorithms or trends.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video script?

The main topic discussed in the video script is the impact of social media on individuality and conformity, exploring how trends and the desire for social acceptance influence people's behavior and identity online.

Why does the speaker mention the need for conformity in society?

The speaker mentions the need for conformity in society to illustrate how deeply ingrained the desire to fit in is, and how it can lead to people changing their behavior to match those around them, which is a common aspect of human social behavior.

What is the 'bystander effect' as mentioned in the script?

The 'bystander effect' is a psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present, assuming that someone else will help or that the responsibility is shared among the group.

How does the script suggest social media amplifies the desire to conform?

The script suggests that social media amplifies the desire to conform by serving up popular trends and content in an endless loop, creating a feedback loop that encourages users to engage with what's already popular to gain social acceptance and likes.

What role does the hormone oxytocin play in the desire to conform, according to the script?

Oxytocin, known as the 'love hormone,' is released when individuals feel like they belong, creating a warm, fuzzy feeling. The script suggests that this hormone can drive people to conform to group behaviors to seek relief from anxiety and unease when they perceive disagreement within a group.

What is 'groupthink' and how does it relate to social media as discussed in the script?

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon where the desire for harmony in a group results in the suppression of individual opinions and critical thinking. The script relates this to social media by suggesting that the platform's algorithms and user behaviors can lead to a consolidation of popular opinions, stifling diversity in thought.

Why does the speaker mention 'echo chambers' in the context of social media?

The speaker mentions 'echo chambers' to describe how social media platforms can create environments where users are only exposed to information and opinions that align with their existing beliefs, reinforcing those beliefs without exposing them to diverse perspectives.

What is 'performative activism' and how is it connected to social media conformity?

Performative activism refers to the act of supporting a cause publicly to gain social approval or recognition rather than genuine commitment. It is connected to social media conformity as individuals may participate in trends or support causes that are popular to fit in or gain social validation.

How does the script suggest that social media can be used to shape individual identity?

The script suggests that social media can be used to shape individual identity by allowing users to signal to others who they are through the content they post and share, which can influence how others perceive them and can also be a reflection of their self-image.

What is 'reflected appraisal' and how does it play a role in social media interactions?

Reflected appraisal is a concept where individuals form their self-concept based on their perceptions of how others view them. In social media interactions, this is played out through the feedback, likes, and comments users receive, which can significantly influence their self-perception and behavior.

What does the script suggest about the potential for social media to foster both conformity and individuality?

The script suggests that while social media can supercharge conformity by promoting popular trends and creating echo chambers, it also provides a platform for individuals to express their authentic selves, explore their interests, and connect with like-minded communities, thus fostering individuality.

Outlines

00:00

😅 Social Media and Conformity

Myles Bess introduces the topic of social media trends and how they influence individuality. He discusses the human desire for social acceptance and how it can lead to conformity in the pursuit of popularity and likes on social media platforms. Myles points out that while trends have always shaped style, the repetitive nature of social media trends seems to limit originality. He questions whether the platform has caused a loss of individuality and explores the concept of conformity from a psychological perspective, including its role in society and its impact on decision-making and behavior.

05:02

🤔 The Power of Groupthink on Social Media

This section delves into the psychological concept of groupthink and how it plays out on social media. It explains that as group size increases, diversity of thought decreases, leading to a consensus that often favors the popular opinion. The script uses the example of 'Old Town Road' by Lil Nas X to illustrate how quickly trends can take over. It also discusses how social media algorithms contribute to conformity by promoting popular content, creating a feedback loop that reinforces trends. The influence of popular opinions on social media is explored through the lens of psychological research, highlighting how social validation can shape our preferences and behaviors.

10:03

🎭 Authenticity vs. Conformity on Social Media

The final paragraph discusses the dual role of social media in shaping individual identity. It acknowledges the platform's potential to enhance conformity but also its ability to foster authenticity and self-expression. Myles shares insights from high school students on their experiences with social media, including the pressure to conform and the strategies they use to maintain their authenticity. The paragraph also touches on the concept of 'reflected appraisal,' where individuals form their self-perception based on how they believe others perceive them. Myles concludes by encouraging viewers to consider whether social media is a space for conformity or creativity and to share their thoughts on the matter.

Keywords

💡Conformity

Conformity refers to the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms. In the video, it is discussed as a natural human tendency that can be observed from an early age, where individuals, especially on social media, often adopt trends and opinions to fit in with their peers. The script mentions how conformity can lead to a loss of individuality, as people might change their behavior or beliefs to align with popular opinions or trends seen on platforms like TikTok.

💡Social Acceptance

Social acceptance is the desire to be a part of a group and to be liked and approved by others. The video script explores how this deep-seated need can drive people to conform to popular trends in order to gain social approval. It's highlighted as a powerful motivator behind the adoption of internet trends and the pressure to fit in, which is amplified by social media's influence.

💡Social Media

Social media is a collective term for websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. The video discusses how social media platforms can both encourage conformity and provide a space for individual expression. It's portrayed as a double-edged sword, where the same algorithms that promote popular content can also create echo chambers and pressure users to conform.

💡Individuality

Individuality is the quality of being distinct and separate from others, often in terms of personal characteristics or preferences. The video questions whether social media has led to a loss of individuality, as trends and popular opinions can overshadow unique perspectives. It contrasts the idea of being original and making independent choices with the tendency to follow what is popular.

💡Echo Chambers

An echo chamber is a situation in which people are exposed primarily to opinions that confirm their existing beliefs, often due to selective exposure on social media. The script mentions echo chambers as one of the conformity pockets on social media, where users are only shown content that aligns with their views, reinforcing their beliefs without exposure to diverse perspectives.

💡Performative Activism

Performative activism is the act of supporting a cause not out of genuine belief but to gain social approval or recognition. The video touches on this concept as a form of conformity where individuals might pretend to support certain causes because it is trendy or popular on social media, rather than out of a true commitment to the cause.

💡Groupthink

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon where group members strive for consensus and harmony, often leading to irrational or suboptimal decisions. The video uses this term to describe how social media can lead to a homogenization of ideas, where the desire for group consensus can suppress individual opinions and creativity.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity refers to the state of being genuine, original, and true to oneself. In the context of the video, authenticity is contrasted with the curated and often artificial personas presented on social media. The script encourages viewers to strive for authenticity, suggesting that it can lead to a more fulfilling and genuine online presence.

💡Oxytocin

Oxytocin, often referred to as the 'love hormone,' is a hormone that plays a role in social bonding and trust. The video explains how the desire to belong and the release of oxytocin can influence conformity, as individuals may be more likely to conform to group norms to maintain social bonds and avoid feelings of anxiety or exclusion.

💡Bystander Effect

The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The video uses this concept to illustrate how conformity can lead to inaction, as people may assume that others will step in, leading to a diffusion of responsibility.

💡Reflected Appraisal

Reflected appraisal is a social psychological concept where individuals form self-concepts based on their perceptions of how others view them. The video discusses how social media amplifies this process, as users can receive immediate feedback on their posts and appearances, influencing their self-perception and potentially leading to conformity in their online presentation.

Highlights

The desire for social acceptance can lead to conformity in trends and behaviors on social media.

Social media amplifies our desire for conformity by promoting popular trends and styles.

Conformity is a natural human behavior that starts early in life and is necessary for societal functioning.

The bystander effect is a form of conformity where individuals do not act because they assume others will.

Conformity can be seen in our brains, with certain regions lighting up when we feel we don't fit in with a group.

Oxytocin, the 'love hormone', is released when we feel we belong, influencing our desire to conform.

Adolescence is a critical period for identity formation, often influenced by social media and peer groups.

Groupthink can limit individuality as larger groups tend to think alike and suppress diverse opinions.

Social media algorithms can create echo chambers, reinforcing our existing beliefs and limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.

Performative activism is a form of conformity where individuals support causes for social media approval rather than genuine belief.

Social media can be used to shape our identity by signaling to others through the content we post.

Reflected appraisal is a psychological concept where our self-perception is influenced by how we think others perceive us.

Social media can be a tool for authenticity if used to express real interests rather than conforming to algorithms.

Individuals can find and cultivate their unique interests through social media, even within conforming groups.

Conformity is not inherently good or bad; it depends on whether it's mindless or aligns with personal values.

Social media can both enhance conformity and provide opportunities for individuals to express their originality.

Transcripts

- What up, world? Myles Bess here.

Like anybody, I love a good internet trend,

but over the years,

some have really just been straight up odd.

- [Man 1] Oh, my god.

- [Myles] We might not wanna admit it,

but deep in our brands is a desperate desire

for social acceptance.

So much so that is really easy to just conform

to what's already popular in getting likes.

- [Man 2] Never Again.

- Why?

And social media takes that desire

and cranks it up to an 11.

I see you out there rocking your wide Air Force 1s,

or your Panda Dunks, or that Gen Z broccoli cut.

I mean, sure.

Trends have always influenced style and what's popular,

but it just seems like social media

keeps serving up the same stuff in an endless loop.

What happened to being original where I decide?

So today, we're asking:

Have we lost our individuality on social media?

(static crackling)

Okay, I get it.

We're all social creatures.

We all wanna be accepted by the people around us.

And for that to happen, we need some level of conformity.

That's when we change our behavior

to fit in with the people around us.

And we humans are some serious copycats,

and it starts early.

Have you ever seen little kids watching a parent

and kind of mimicking what they're doing?

First, that's adorable.

And second, that's conformity in action.

And when we need to make a decision

without enough information,

copying what's around us

is a pretty good way to get through life and not die.

It's worked for me, unless I'm dead and I don't know it,

or I'm in some sort of simulation.

Maybe?

Society itself relies on conformity:

stopping at red light, standing in line,

putting trash in trash cans, wearing a suit and tie,

politics, even certain aspects of religion.

The list goes on, and on, and on.

But here's the thing.

Conformity pushed too far can cause problems,

like think about peer pressure.

There's a group of people ganging up on someone,

and we'd all like to think

that we'd step in and help that person out.

But a lot of times,

people end up joining in so the focus doesn't fall on them.

And not doing something can also be conformity.

It's called the bystander effect,

which is when we don't help out

because we assume other people around us will.

Like, if someone is asking for help on a busy street corner

and a bunch of people are just walking by

and not acknowledging them,

it's really easy to conform and do the same thing.

Conformity can play out in our day-to-day lives

without us even realizing that it's happening.

Like saying that you're a vegan

when you're around a bunch of other vegans,

but then grabbing a burger later

because eating meat fills that hole deep inside your soul.

But this is just a hypothetical,

I've never done anything like that before.

Signaling to others that we want to fit in is hardwired.

Researchers can see it in our brains.

When everyone in a group disagrees with us,

brain regions associated with anxiety, disgust,

and unease light up.

And the more these brain regions activate,

the more likely it is that we're gonna seek relief

and conform to what the group is doing.

Feeling like we belong releases the hormone oxytocin,

which is known as the love hormone.

And it gives us this warm, fuzzy feeling

when we connect and when we bond with someone.

And you know what happens

when researchers give someone oxytocin,

puts them in a group,

and lets them choose the correct answer

or the wrong answer that everyone else around them chose?

They're more likely to choose the wrong answer

so that they can fit in.

This desire to conform really kicks into high gear

when puberty hits.

There's this biological push

to separate ourselves from our parents

and develop our own identity

that better aligns with our friends.

I wanted to better understand what teens today think

about how conformity plays out on social media.

So I linked up with Asha, Zoya, and Jacqueline,

three high schoolers in the Bay Area

who collabed with me on this episode.

I hopped on a Zoom session with them

and a couple of their friends to get their takes.

- I have noticed a lot of times

when one thing becomes popular,

like there's a new fashion trend out.

And then the next week after,

it's almost like everybody's wearing nothing

but that clothes.

- Whenever I scrolled on TikTok, I would see like,

"Okay, this girl bought this lip gloss."

And I was like, "Ooh, this is really cool."

But then when I tried it on, I was drying my lips out.

And I think the amount of people that bought it

and were talking about it made me wanna buy it.

- When I was younger,

I definitely felt the pressure to be something that I'm not

on social media.

It can make you put on this facade

that you might be something that you're not

or do things that you might not normally do

or feel out of character for you.

- If I have a differing opinion than my friends,

instead of talking about my opinion

or saying that, "I don't actually agree with that,"

I'll usually stay quiet

and just not add to the opinion that my friends have.

- Now, here's what I find really interesting.

If I was some alien that warped to planet Earth

and someone kind of described to me in general

what social media was and how it worked, I'd be like,

"Hmm, sounds primitive.

I just teleported here."

No, but for real I'd probably be like, "That sounds dope!"

You got millions of people interacting

with tons of different ideas, photos, videos.

That would have to increase individuality

and creativity, right?

Well, there is this little psychological concept

called groupthink.

It's the idea that the larger the group,

the more the people in that group tend to think alike.

You might start out with a bunch of different

and unique ideas and opinions,

but only a small subset of those ideas

will actually filter up to the top and get noticed.

Our brains are subconsciously pushing us

to reach a group consensus.

Like remember "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X?

It went from a TikTok meme

to one of the most popular pop songs of all time

in just a matter of months.

To quote one tech journalist,

"Despite the barrage of choice,

more of us are enjoying more of the same songs,

movies, and TV shows."

Now, people have to like something to make it popular,

but eventually there is this tipping point

where something just being popular primes us to like it.

And social media totally takes advantage of that.

I talked to Mitch Prinstein,

who spent over 25 years researching

how adolescents form relationships with each other,

and he broke it down like this.

- So psych science has demonstrated

that you are more likely to like a post

that's already been liked,

and you are more likely to like a post

that's already been liked by your friends.

So now we've got a a real backwards thing that's happening.

We are being influenced

by people who have a lot of followers

rather than us following the people

that we think should have the most influence.

- And social media can lead

to so many other pockets of conformity

that I'm sure you've heard of, like echo chambers,

where we're only hearing the same perspectives and opinions

that reinforce what we already believe over and over again.

They're fueled by confirmation bias.

And if you wanna learn more,

we did an episode all about that

that you should totally check out.

And you've also got performative activism

where people pretend to support a cause because it's trendy

or it gets them likes.

We got a separate episode on that, too,

that you should also check out.

Okay.

But if you watch this show,

you know there's always a flip side to all of this.

Social media,

the very thing that can supercharge conformity,

plays a big role in how we shape

our own individual identities,

especially in young people with developing brains.

We're signaling to others who we are by the photos we post,

the info we share.

And we can use this

to influence how other people perceive us.

And one big part of creating an identity,

for better or worse, has to do with social comparison.

Like, when you think about your friends,

how do you measure up?

Are you more successful or less successful?

Are you better looking or worse looking?

- We didn't walk around in the '80s

with great photos of ourselves,

holding them up in front of everyone and saying,

"Tell me I look attractive.

Tell me I look attractive."

But, that's kind of what happens now.

You try a new hairstyle, a new look, a new hobby,

a new location or friendship,

and you can put it up for crowdsourcing feedback

from the entire world.

And that's shaping kids' identity development

in ways we never imagined might have happened.

- At this point,

I'm sure we're all very familiar

with how social media feeds off our needs

to constantly compare ourselves to others.

It all taps into another side concept

that social media can exploit.

It's called reflected appraisal.

It's when we think about ourselves

in the same way we think other people think about us.

- If they think I'm great, I must be great.

If they think that I'm not, maybe I'm not.

So now think about how powerful social media is

where you can literally get a quantified vote

on what people think about you in real time

that has really supercharged

this reflected appraisal process in a big way.

- So is social media always negative

when it comes to all this identity formation stuff?

To answer that,

I went back to my high school peeps to get their take.

- Sometimes, it's hard for you to tell

what part of your life is for social media

and what part of your life is just for you

and as your authentic self.

And I think that I've gotten a lot better

about being able to differentiate those

and choose the authentic side of me more.

I like to update people on what I'm doing,

what I've been liking recently, what music I've been liking,

what books I've been reading.

And I think that it's gotten easier for me

to choose the more authentic side each time,

rather than the side that is curated

and made to be perfect for everybody else to watch.

And kids do.

- Social media might be screaming at us to conform,

but if we're able to be more authentic when using it,

we can tap into our real interests

instead of the algorithm

dictating to us what our interests are.

- I've been, for two years, ever since I was 13,

in the Bay Area punk scene.

And how I figured out that that was the thing

was through social media,

I found a flyer for a show that was coming up,

and it was one of my core memories.

It was one of the funnest experiences I ever had.

And now, I've been in this community for two years.

80% of my friends are from this community, too.

Sometimes they think about it like,

"If I never found that flyer,

what would life for me be like right now?"

- So is joining in a punk scene conformity?

I mean, yeah.

But remember, conformity isn't good or bad.

Kind of depends on how and why we're conforming.

Is it mindless participation

or are we actively choosing something

that aligns with what we value?

So what do you all think?

Are you seeing social media more of a place for conformity

or have you found a pocket of creativity

where you can be your original self?

Let me know.

As always, I'm your host Myles Bess.

Peace out.

(lively music)

(ethereal music)