Herd feeling. What is it? This is what makes people, especially teenagers, do things because “other people are doing it.” Sometimes acts committed under the influence of the company surrounding a teenager are unacceptable and even socially dangerous.
Let's try to get to the heart of this phenomenon. What exactly pushes teenagers to do “like everyone else”? The desire to show that he is no worse? Or maybe just wondering: why is everyone doing this? I believe that each of these reasons has an impact in individual cases.
Scientific research has been conducted on this topic. For example, in a group of 200 people or more, only 5% of the “leaders” are enough for everyone else to succumb to the herd mentality over time. In groups of 50 to 150 people, 2% of “leaders” is sufficient. In smaller groups there is only one person. Of course, these boundaries are very conditional and it is impossible to give a complete guarantee that with a sufficient number or even an excess (relative to the data given) of the so-called “information minority” (a group of people or a person who has leadership qualities and has confidence in themselves from the “crowd”) there will even be a partial effect.
The leaders of many campaigns achieve their “positions” precisely because of this phenomenon. It is enough to enlist the support of a small number of people to soon gain control over the rest. Also, anyone who falls into the “herd” quickly becomes part of it, because “he is no worse.”
There are people for whom the herd feeling exists only at the level of fact: it exists, but these people are not subject to it. Often these are people with leadership inclinations who have not found or are not looking for their herd. If there is already one such person nearby, and even more so as part of a group, the formation of a herd becomes tens of times more difficult, and in some cases simply impossible. Those who fall under herd influence pay attention to this “loner” and think: “Well, I do like everyone else... Why should I do like him (or all of them, if there are several loners), because he doesn’t do what everyone else does, but what he WANTS. He begins to see that it is not necessary to be part of this society, that one can be truly an individual.
What can a man from the herd do? For all. Depends on the morals, imagination and skills of the leader. Moral: what lengths is the leader himself willing to go to, because not every person will decide, for example, to commit a crime and many will limit themselves to hooliganism at most. Fantasy: whatever the leader can come up with that does not go beyond the scope of his morality, he can instill in the minds of his followers. Skills consist of authority (which in most cases is undeniable) and the extent to which the leader has oratory skills, because even though people have formed a herd, the brains still remain. You have to be able to show the crowd that something is done for a reason. A leader who is “well” proficient in all three skills (the absence of the first and the presence of the rest in large quantities) is capable of leading people to murder. However, if all three qualities are present, the “herd” will most likely be directed towards good deeds or simply a useless existence: so as not to interfere with society.
Together with the LookAtMe website, we have launched, in which we ask our scientists to answer fairly simple, at first glance, but controversial questions from readers. For you, we have selected the most interesting answers from PostNauka experts.The expression “herd mentality” is figurative, not scientific. Strictly speaking, it is in itself exhaustive. If we want to say that people behave like animals in a herd, we say that they have a herd mentality. This must be understood to mean that if they did not have a herd feeling, they would behave differently and be less like animals in a herd. Anyone who bothers to type the phrase “herd mentality” into an Internet search engine will instantly find the same text about the “5 percent law” posted on dozens of websites and dozens of blogs. This indicates that the law is empirically valid: the network herd behaves like a herd, repeating stories about the herd. This, in fact, could be the end of it, but some ambiguities remain.
First of all, we do not know well enough, at least in social scientific terms, whether animals in herds are subject to the same herd mentality that we assume in humans. Of course, there are many surprising cases of synchronization that can be found. Several years ago, one of my colleagues at the CFS conceived a whole study on the rhythmic synchronization of applause. But this was not about herd feeling: animals do not give applause. However, this is not the most difficult thing. The bad thing is that the “herd feeling” can turn out to be both a qualifying feature and an explanatory principle.
Let us imagine a certain number of people who are together and act together. I say “acting” because we can only observe actions, and can only guess about the experiences and feelings accompanying them. So, we see people together, but is it always a “herd”? Is a hundred people sitting in a cinema hall or a waiting room at a train station a herd? And what about the same hundred people seated in the cabin of the plane? - No? - What if the plane shakes and they are overcome with horror? What if they landed safely, but are crowding around the exit, not listening to the admonitions of the staff? But what about the rallies that have attracted so much attention in our time? Do those who take part in them have a herd mentality? “I’m afraid the answer to this last question depends on the political position of the observer, who is ready to deny those who are unpleasant to him the ability of reflection, intelligence and civic consciousness.
It was in relation to the masses that it was tempting to talk about herd feelings, but the scheme did not add up. The fact is that “herd” in relation to intelligence is not just “animal” in relation to human, but also evolutionarily lower in relation to a higher one. And if so, then a rejection of evolutionism was required, that is, from the idea that historical development proceeds in an ascending manner, towards an ever-increasing rationality of individuals. But if such a concept of linear evolution is not suitable, then the understanding of the “herd” as inferior and condemned is also difficult to maintain as a value judgment. And if we take the point of view of the “transition to a mass society,” then in a number of cases it will be appropriate to talk (as Erns Jünger did in the early 1930s) about the decline of the masses.
Is it nevertheless possible to discern some meaning in discussions about the herd? - Apparently, yes. For example, Elias Canetti in his famous book “Mass and Power” made many important comments on this matter. I will quote a few of them. Here is the first: “The desire of people to multiply has always been strong. However, this word should not be understood as a simple desire to be fruitful. People wanted more of them now, in this particular place, at this very moment. The large number of herds they hunted and the desire to increase their own numbers were peculiarly intertwined in their souls. They expressed their feeling in a certain state of general excitement, which I call a rhythmic or convulsive mass.” Canetti further explains this using the example of movements in a general dance: “But how do they compensate for the lack of numbers? What is especially important here is that each of them does the same as the others, each stomps in the same way as the other, each waves his arms, each makes the same head movements. This equivalence of participants, as it were, branches out into the equivalence of each member. Everything that is mobile in a person acquires a special life - each leg, each hand lives on its own. Individual members are reduced to a common denominator.”
Start time and the very presence of spectators in the seats. Latecomers are greeted with mild hostility. Like an orderly herd, people sit quietly and endlessly patient. But everyone is well aware of his separate existence; he counted and noted who was sitting next to him. Before the performance begins, he calmly observes the rows of assembled heads: they give him a pleasant, but unobtrusive feeling of density. The equality of the audience consists, in fact, only in the fact that everyone gets the same thing from the stage.” (Quotations are given in translation by L. G. Ionin: Canetti E. Mass and Power. M.: Ad Marginem, 1997, according to the online version). Descriptive precision should not blind us to explanatory complexity. The co-presence of many fundamentally identical, in this case, bodies, the transition from the fear of contact with someone else to some kind of bodily self-identification with others, the rhythm of movement and the peace of togetherness allow us to talk about the current and predictable characteristics of this collection as a herd. This is exactly how the logical construction of the events taking place here is structured for the observer. But the question of feeling remains open. As for me, I would use the word “herd” itself with caution, and I would not use the combination “herd feeling” at all.
The desire to be like everyone else has been studied in detail by specialists and voiced in many scientific works. F. Nietzsche called it the tendency of mediocre individuals to distrust and hate relatively extraordinary individuals. V. Trotter, an English social psychologist and surgeon, examined in it a person’s desire to join certain groups and social associations and at the same time copy the behavior of their leaders.
P.A. Kropotkin, a scientist and Russian revolutionary anarchist, believed that solidarity was a quality that was inherent in almost every person.
At the University of Leeds (UK), scientists put forward a theory regarding 5%. They showed by example that this number of people is quite enough to subjugate 95% of other ordinary people.
In this case, the herd instinct automatically kicks in, and on a subconscious level, a person begins to do what 5% of demonstrators do. Even if he did not like the performance of an artist, he automatically begins to applaud him because of the applause of part of the audience.
Varieties of herd instinct
This phenomenon covers many aspects of human life. Among them, the leading positions are occupied by religion, politics, art, advertising and the sex life of ordinary people. It is in these areas that it is easiest to manipulate people's consciousness.
Religious herd instinct
The spiritual essence of a person is often based on church tenets. In most cases, they do not carry a destructive seed for people’s consciousness, because in a moderate dose they offer them to understand the essence of moral standards. However, the herd instinct on religious grounds is not always harmless, as evidenced by the following points:
- Sects. Such islands of “spiritual cleansing” began to operate most actively in our country in the early 90s. Taking advantage of the confusion of people after the collapse of the USSR, pseudo-prophets began to create societies that were later able to cloud the brains of even adequate individuals. At the same time, the herd instinct worked uninterruptedly, because the person wanted to believe in the best and reached for a ghostly dream. Experts were interested in the fact that the sect leaders were excellent psychologists and speakers. In their arguments to the public, they relied on Christian postulates, while destroying human souls and gathering fanatics into a controlled herd. The most dangerous sects are Jehovah's Witnesses, Calvary Chapel and Peoples Temple.
- Communes. These organizations can be called the highest manifestation of a dangerous association of people on religious grounds. If the community lives at a monastery, where everyone can see its activities, then this is not a problem. However, manipulators do not stop at such modest means of obtaining funds for their existence and arrange entire settlements of adherents of the created idol. An example is the “Manson Family” community, in which the herd instinct made people slaves of someone else’s will and cruel killers.
Sexual herd instinct
In this case, the conversation will focus on stereotypes that are inherent in modern society. To some extent, the herd instinct is one of the main mechanisms of sexual selection:
- Dogma about procreation. One of the most common stereotypes is that people (especially women) worry about their infertility. If you do not take into account the moral side of the issue, but use logic, then interesting facts emerge. Society is wary of those individuals who cannot reproduce offspring. There is a stereotype that a person must continue the family line and give the new citizen his own set of chromosomes. However, with a great desire to have a child, people often forget that orphanages exist. Psychologists believe the reason for this fear is associating oneself with the animal environment. In any herd, an infertile female automatically becomes the lowest link among animals. For the same reason, society, with the help of church dogmas, condemns concepts such as homosexuality, lesbianism and other types of sexuality that do not ultimately lead to the conception of a child.
- Social cliché about jealousy. Another stereotype is the opinion that this is a manifestation of love for your sexual partner. Experts say that the voiced feeling has nothing to do with passion and the desire to always be close to a certain person. They consider the basis of jealousy to be the fear of losing their rank in the herd hierarchy.
- Monogamy stereotype. Some researchers believe that this model of the institution of marriage was created by people who feared competition from males and females of higher herd rank. According to sex therapists, the idea remains a pointless waste of time: representatives of the herd hierarchy can still afford to have a harem. Sexual freedom is unrealistic among people with a herd instinct. Whether this is good or bad is up to each person to decide based on his views on life and morality.
Political herd instinct
To some extent, influential people in this field of human activity are able to give even the most clever religious manipulators a head start. The herd instinct in politics has 4 types, which look like this:
- Patriotism. Such a social feeling is inherent in people who love their homeland and the population that lives in it. It was this political principle that helped many peoples repel the attacks of the enemy who encroached on their lands. However, it is quite dangerous when it develops into fanaticism and hypertrophied leavened patriotism.
- Nationalism. This ideology can be of a civil, ethnic and cultural nature. The manifestation of the herd instinct can develop into aggression with extreme nationalism, because it begins to resemble extremism.
- Racism. Such a belief system has no place in a civilized society. At one time, the herd instinct played a cruel joke on the planters of the southern states of America, who owned black slaves. Policies of racial discrimination may call for either the deprivation of the rights and freedoms of people from another human population system or their complete destruction.
- Religious hostility. This intolerance towards representatives of other faiths and its propaganda are punishable by law. However, quite often the herd instinct kicks in when the crowd is turned on by an experienced manipulator.
Advertising herd instinct
It is no secret that videos with an element of propaganda that have filled the airwaves affect the human psyche. Numerous corporations have seen a real bonanza in the herd instinct factor.
Quite often children become the targets of advertising. It is important for them to get a fashionable toy that does not leave TV screens. Moreover, your classmates have it, but you need to be like everyone else and not yield to them in anything. A child will prefer an advertised and rather harmful sweet, but will not ask his parents to buy a high-quality domestic product.
Some adults are not far removed from their children and strive to take possession of a branded item. They reason on the principle that if they take everything, then it is a profitable and rational purchase. Such people are magnetically affected by slogans like “do as we do; do it with us."
Politicians also skillfully use the psychology of the herd instinct. Quite often, the advertising of their party looks like a leader in the foreground, behind whom stands a whole crowd of like-minded people. After the communist videos, war veterans feel like an important component of the party, which reminds them of the times of their distant youth.
Herd instinct in art
In this case, the conversation will again focus on stereotypes. If you want to be known as an esthete, then you must like “La Gioconda” and you must freeze in admiration at the sounds of Bach’s organ music. This is necessary because it is accepted in society and approved by the majority of its members.
If you don't like the theater, you are immediately labeled as a person who cannot understand beauty.
People themselves develop a herd instinct, obeying the opinion of the crowd. Any preferences in art are a matter of taste, but the resulting stereotypes are firmly deposited in the minds of ordinary people.
Ways to combat the herd instinct
People who either have a poorly developed desire to be like everyone else, or who have it completely absent, find it difficult to adapt to society.
Society does not like “white crows” and calls them crazy people. The grief of such individuals is precisely from their mind. Possessing high intelligence, they do not want to blend in with the crowd. As a result, such people remain lonely rebels. It is quite difficult not to cause rejection from society and at the same time be an extraordinary person. However, even mediocrity does not always dream of becoming a small link in a single whole.
Psychologists advise correcting your herd instinct as follows:
- Staying calm in any situation. The energy of the crowd only affects a person when he is emotionally overexcited. This is especially true for overly impressionable and exalted individuals. Calmness is a powerful weapon against manipulators.
- Turning on the brain 100%. A highly developed personality will never become a victim of the herd mentality. Pseudo-prophets usually do not associate with such people. The exception is the leaders of Scientology, who were hooked by John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
- Analysis of your own behavior. It is recommended to understand your inner “I”, highlighting positive and negative character traits and existing desires. Having understood yourself, it is easier to develop a further plan of action. You can allow ambition to take precedence over prudence for a while, because it is they who are the incentive to destroy your desire to be like everyone else.
- Destroying stereotypes. It is not necessary to become a rebel and go against the crowd. However, people must understand that in front of them is a person with a clear life position and personal preferences. You don’t have to go against your will to watch a fashionable film or visit a well-advertised exhibition just because they caused a public stir.
- Raising self-esteem. Individuals with a herd instinct are most often not confident in themselves. They are hurt by criticism from the outside, and they try to stay in the shadow of the leader. You should love yourself and understand your individuality.
- Doing something interesting. In the company of extraordinary people there is a reality and you can learn something yourself. At the same time, you should not be afraid of the formation of a herd instinct in such a community, because such individuals do not copy each other’s actions.
- Developing a sense of humor and communication skills. It is the voiced qualities that distinguish a person from the gray mass. To do this, it is recommended to read humorous books and watch funny talk shows.
- Life for yourself and family. It is necessary, first of all, to put your own interests above all else, and not the opinions of others that society imposes. If this does not turn into selfishness, then such a line of behavior will not allow a person to merge with the crowd.
The herd instinct in life is a social phenomenon to which it is quite possible to adapt. It is not forbidden to accept it if it helps the team work cohesively. In the case of outright manipulation of consciousness, such attempts by unscrupulous persons must be strictly suppressed.
When forming public opinion, the principle of herd sentiment is often used. This is becoming more and more noticeable, most people don’t think about it, and just do it like everyone else. And if everyone says that the iPhone is cool, then everyone buys an iPhone. This is especially true in a situation that is unfamiliar to a person; if you don’t know what to do, you will most likely follow the others. How can you use herd mentality in sales?
Herd mentality from a marketing perspective
In marketing, many things are based on the herd mentality of people. It is very indicative of how quickly Russians absorbed Western values and culture. In just 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, we have adopted a huge layer of Western traditions, and this is actively used by marketers to increase sales. No one is surprised that the population now celebrates Halloween or St. Patrick's Day by drinking whiskey and eating at McDonald's. There are an infinite number of such examples, but the question is how did we get here?
A big role here was played by foreign films and TV series that penetrated our television, and new ones managed to grow on them. In addition, Western corporations entered our market and began actively advertising their products in the Russian media. Many market segments simply could not withstand competition with Western manufacturers, since the quality of foreign goods is incomparably higher, for example, the automotive industry. The herd mentality did the rest; the population very quickly adjusted to new values.
Role of the pack leader
When it comes to a pack, what immediately comes to mind is that a pack must have a leader. An important aspect in the life of any mass of people, the leader shapes the opinions of others. There is a leader in any group of people and if you want to control the herd mentality of the population, you need control over the leaders. The essence of the pack is that the leader can achieve faith in any truth. If you go deeper into history, you can recall many examples when the leader of a state introduced the craziest ideas into the population: fascism in Germany, the extermination of sparrows in China, etc.
Wars for territory are over, in the 21st century there will be wars for resources. The main resource of the planet at the moment is not oil or gas. The main resource is consumers, that is, you and me. The more consumers you have, the more you can earn from them. This is why Facebook shares are so expensive; this social network influences the opinions of millions of people around the world.
How to use herd mentality for sales
How can you use the herd mentality to increase sales of your product? Let's start with the fact that it is important for you to know where your target audience lives - websites, forums, social groups. networks, what TV channels they watch, where they spend their time, etc. The audience may be in the most unusual places; it is important to spend time and find them. The larger your advertising budget, the larger the audience you can reach. The largest brands sponsor various events, football clubs, and use advertising in films. But even with a small budget you can achieve a lot.
After you have found the “habitat” of your customers, you need to identify leaders who are ready to help you promote your product, of course you will need to pay for this. Your task is to make sure that the client does not just offer your product, but uses it himself or says that he uses it.
An important point in promoting a product through herd mentality is the need to make your product visible during use. That is, if your clients themselves should be walking advertisements. The first aspect is to make sure that your product is different from the others, that is, it has recognition, for example: no one will confuse a Coca-Cola bottle with anything else. The second task is to make sure that people see that the client is using your product. This is not always easy, because not all things are visible. Some are intended for home use, some are not visible. If the product cannot be seen, then the client must talk about it. Naturally, he needs to be motivated to do this; launching word of mouth is not always easy, but if it is launched, then there will be no problems with clients.
The story about a pack of cigarettes is very telling. Previously, you could get a cigarette without taking the pack out of your pocket, and no one could see what brand of cigarettes you smoked. In order for a person to take out a pack, the current system was invented. And now every person advertises their cigarettes without even knowing it.
We use social networks
The Internet in general and social networks in particular are an indispensable tool for attracting customers. The main advantage of using the global network is the ability to influence the target audience. For example, if you need to promote diapers, all you need to do is find groups and sites where parents share their experiences. Then you can negotiate with users directly or use special exchanges (for example: advego), where you can buy posts on forums.