Indirect social influence and diffusion of innovations: An experimental approach Articles uri icon

publication date

  • October 2024

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2752-6542

abstract

  • A fundamental feature for understanding the diffusion of innovations through a social group is
    the manner in which we are influenced by our own social interactions. It is usually assumed that
    only direct interactions, those that form our social network, determine the dynamics of adopting
    innovations. Here, we put this assumption to the test by experimentally and theoretically studying
    the role of direct and indirect influences in the adoption of innovations. We perform experiments
    specifically designed to capture the influence that an individual receives from their direct social
    ties as well as from those socially close to them, as a function of the separation they have in their
    social network. The results of 21 experimental sessions with more than 590 participants show that
    the rate of adoption of an innovation is significantly influenced not only by our nearest neighbors
    but also by the second and third levels of influences an adopter has. Using a mathematical model
    that accounts for both direct and indirect interactions in a network, we fit the experimental results
    and determine the way in which influences decay with social distance. The results indicate that
    the strength of peer pressure on an adopter coming from its second and third circles of influence is
    approximately 2/3 and 1/3, respectively, relative to their closest neighbors. Our results strongly
    suggest that innovation adoption is a complex process in which an individual feels significant
    pressure not only from their direct ties but also by those socially close to them.

subjects

  • Mathematics