I probably would not assume that you would act differently than the people in the following video. Experiment after experiment reveals that these people could be you, that like the rest of us, you generally conform most of the time in random social situations. It’s not too difficult to figure out why, of course. We are socialized about how to act in a wide range of social interactions. Sometimes the socialization is overt and directly taught to us (e.g., how to eat a meal at a formal dinner table — elbows off the table, chew with your mouth closed), and sometimes the teaching is much more subtle (e.g., how to use facial gestures to let someone know that you’re listening to them). And then out of the blue we find ourselves in a situation in which all of the rules we’ve played by suddenly change. “Whaaaaaat’s going on here?”
Think about what we’ve been discussing in class and give some perspective on THIS VIDEO.
Putting all comedy aside, and this video had plenty of it, it's very clear to see the issue in society of conformity. It takes place everywhere, and it's our way of "fitting in" with everyone in all social places. We as a society don't want to be excluded or stand out from groups, even if that means a small group of people that we've never met or probably never will see again, as shown in this elevator circumstance. By being excluded, I mean we don't like to miss out on things or go against the grain. For example, if a group of friends is going downtown to look at shops and get some food, we wouldn't want to pass that up even if we're busy. By standing out, just look at the video. In the second part, the guy with the hat did everything that the other men did as not to stand out and look "goofy" as he might have potrayed them to see him as. This statement can relate to the section in "Intersections" about the "looking glass." There isn't a sign in the elevator that says, "stand facing front," so no way is wrong, however; we are just socialized and used to stand facing toward the door so when it opens, we walk out instead of having to turn around. This guy was obviously thinking, "What the fu#$," but still he went with the crowd because in the moment, the invisible strings Dr. Richard always talks about were making him a puppet to the things around him, which is to conform. Just look at the zebras. The one with the ass hanging out is the only one we look at. We think, "hey that's funny, and the message this picture is sending us is saying that that zebra is a nonconformist." A lot of times we like the idea of being the zebra with our ass out (figeratively of course), but realistically we're all socialized to do what everyone else was socialized to do, which is not to go "out there." That's not to say people shouldn't be who they are or want to be, it's just many times we look at people expressing their free will (different from what we're used to) and we have to take a second to let it sink in before moving on.
This statement can relate to the section in "Intersections" about the "looking glass." There isn't a sign in the elevator that says, "stand facing front," so no way is wrong, however; we are just socialized and used to stand facing toward the door so when it opens, we walk out instead of having to turn around. This guy was obviously thinking, "What the fu#$," but still he went with the crowd because in the moment, the invisible strings Dr. Richard always talks about were making him a puppet to the things around him, which is to conform. Just look at the zebras. The one with the ass hanging out is the only one we look at. We think, "hey that's funny, and the message this picture is sending us is saying that that zebra is a nonconformist."
This guy was obviously thinking, "What the fu#$," but still he went with the crowd because in the moment, the invisible strings Dr. Richard always talks about were making him a puppet to the things around him, which is to conform. Just look at the zebras. The one with the ass hanging out is the only one we look at. We think, "hey that's funny, and the message this picture is sending us is saying that that zebra is a nonconformist."
A lot of times we like the idea of being the zebra with our ass out (figeratively of course), but realistically we're all socialized to do what everyone else was socialized to do, which is not to go "out there." That's not to say people shouldn't be who they are or want to be, it's just many times we look at people expressing their free will (different from what we're used to) and we have to take a second to let it sink in before moving on.
The idea behind this prank shows exactly how willing and accepting we are to conformity. No one wants to be the "odd man out" or the person who's doing something out of the norm. It is easy to see why the people in the video would turn when the other people in the video did as well. When the young man took his hat off, that was hilarious and extreme. The look in his face when he noticed the other men all taking of their hats was priceless. The fact that no one questioned or asked what was going out was not surprising, but makes you question. If these people were doing something so out of the ordinary, or so extreme, would the subject of the prank still follow along? How far will people go to conform? When we notice something out of the ordinary, such as this situation, we may question in our minds "What is going on here? What am I missing". But we almost never say these words out loud. But why? Is this because we're afraid of not belonging to something or to be ostracized by society? Maybe it's just easier to go along with things because we don't want to question them and just simply and blindly accept them. People around our age especially experiencing that time when want to belong to something, and sometimes we conform to fit the ideas of that particular group. Perhaps we believe that by "conforming" to whatever we feel needs to be conformed to, we just think that it is the normal thing to do and don't really question whether it goes against our values. Sometimes, after we conform to something, such as a trends like wearing Ed Hardy because we think it's the "cool" thing to do, we realize that it may actually look dumb and question why we ever did it in the first place. The answer is quite simple. It's because we saw others in our society doing the same thing and wanted to belong to that. Let's face it, we all want to be a part of something, and conformity allows us to do that. Without the ability to conform, we may feel lost or confused about our identity. And even being a "non-conformist" can assist us in our identity. No matter what form it is in, conformity is a vital thing in our society.
I personally thought that this video was very funny. Especially the kid that did everything step by step almost immediately. I guess that you really never see that power of conformity until you do an experiment like this. If I were to step into an elevator an have everyone to that to me.. I think before doing something I would say something to the people, although I have never been put into the situation so I guess I would never know. I feel like I would have the power to not conform and realize what they are doing is dumb. This experiment does show how social groups could for in high school or college. To be a part of a certain group, you need to start doing the same thing as those people, and before you know it you barely think for yourself aka groupthink. I think that conformity is damaging to our society because it destroys our individuality and doesn’t allow us to think on our own all the time or make our own decisions. Most people have been conforming to something their whole lives so they can have some kind of sense of comfort in their groups. No one wants to be an outcast in society, everyone wants to be accepted and have friends, be able to do things on the weekend.. etc. This all requires for people to conform to something. The demonstration shows that people are eager to conform (especially the third guy) so that they do not feel awkward and are accepted. Little did they know that the joke was on them. The other reason that I think this experiment worked so well is because in the business world no one really wants to stand out, especially if you do not know if the person ext to you could be your superior o someone that you may need something from in the future. Conformity is a funny thing that basically decies how we live our day to day lives. Understanding that conformity is almost a necessity for things to run smoothly is an important part of the way we live.
You never truly realize the power of conformity until you are put into a situation like that. The difference between the first and the last experiment amused me. The last guy followed every move without questioning anything, he just did it. The first guy didn’t know what to do at first but eventually conformed, just like most of us would have done in this situation. Watching this video, a lot of people might say, “I would never conform like them.” However I believe that almost anyone who is put in that situation would conform one way or another. One thing that I believe I would do differently is maybe ask the person next to me, “What is going on?” Something as crazy as three random people doing circles in an elevator deserves to be questioned. On the other hand, if you look at our everyday lives, we are all conforming all of the time. Something as simple as hanging out with your friends could be conforming. Trends such as the music you listen to or the clothes you wear could change within your group of friends, and subconsciously we will change the way we do things to match those of the people we are hanging out with. I believe that in weird situations such as the elevator, if there was one person who got in and turned around the other way, I would not turn around and follow his lead. However if there were two or three people to come in and turn around the opposite way from me, then I would start to question what I am supposed to be doing. When you are put in situations like this you start to question whether what you’re doing is right or not and that is when you conform. But one can ever judge what they would conform to until they are put in a situation such as this one.
Viewing this as someone taking a sociology class, I feel that this video is a great example of how easily we are convinced and swayed to do certain things. I felt like this video showed certain people that had different reactions and different levels of tolerance to the social situation. There was at first the man that was not going to turn around but over time was looking at his watch in an attempt to not look as if he was forcing it. He seemed to be most likely to not fall to the pressure of being like everyone else, but he still did. Then there is the guy at the end that wears a hat and immediately does exactly what the others do. Even when they take off their hat and turn slightly to a certain side he did exactly as they did. He seemed to be the easiest to fall to the sociological pressure to seem normal and do as everyone else does. I think that this shows that although certain people have different levels of to which they feel comfortable being different, in the end basically everyone tries to fit in and be socially normal. There is great pressure on us to seem normal and not stand out from the crowd or be viewed as weird. We always want to come off as the same as other people and as if we are socially normal. This video shows exactly that, everyone that was tested had a certain threshold to which they were going to try to seem normal. People strive to be a normal, functioning member of society. At times we may not agree with why or how things are done but if enough people are doing something or agreeing with some concept, eventually we will be swayed to think that same way and accept it as normal. Normally if someone were to get in an elevator and face the other way we would think they are weird and not much else of it but when everyone does it we think that they must be right and that it is normal. Groupthink takes over and we don’t think as a normal individual, we make decisions that are not educated and make no sense.
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As humorous as this video is, it also point out how much our society emphasizes conformity. As much as we try to act like we are all individual and have our own identities, a lot of outside forces and invisible strings have made us adapt to a very specific lifestyle and conform to these social norms. This video in particular demonstrates how in the workforce, even something as simple as facing the back of the elevator, will make people do anything to conform. If everyone is doing it, we automatically think it must be right thing to do. As human beings we rely on socialization to survive, and with socialization comes all these "social rules" that develop throughout our lives. We don't want to oppose them because we would be rejecting the norm and isolating ourselves. Since we as people need to socialized to survive, we will act in these conformities just to maintain in these interactions with society. Bigger instances of this are clothing trends, ideas about political issues, and religion. Even though there are plenty of different viewpoints for each one of these instances, our society has narrowed it down into two groups in which people need to chose if they are going to join or not. Political wise, we have the democrats and republicans. Both of these groups are the extremes, and yet no one ever really choses to form another group outside of these norms. This idea of conformity makes people feel secure and safe. The more people are involved in this conformed idea, the more confident each individual feels for choosing that path. The only issue I seem to recognize is that by conforming, a lot of individuals who have the potential for great ideas might never open up because it would go against society and what society has already established. Conformity is a lot stronger then we see and we all partake in it one way or another. Conformity also has its benefits too. It's what keeps us structured and gives us the ideal. Society in America is not nearly as chaotic as other countries because it has established the ideal american in which so many citizens try to follow. The power of conformity is much more than just trying to fit in, but it shows that by trying to fit in, you are participating in this huge action that just became one more step stronger in becoming a social norm because you are adding on to this group of other conformers. Our need to be like one another allows sociology to point out how we as humans interact and develop in order to sustain in society.
This is the third time I am seeing this video (psych 100 and psych 221) and it still gets me every time. Conformity is a very strong part of our society because human beings are such social creatures. Socialization forms the individual and conformity is a part of that. As humans we care a lot about whatever anyone else thinks of us. This is shown in the spotlight effect, which is when we think people are paying closer attention to us then they actually are. We think others are judging us with every step we take, but that is simply not true. In a city or on a crowded street people are not even very likely to notice us at all. Conformity shapes how we act, how we dress, what we eat, and everything we do. We want to talk, eat, and act like everyone else. This is also shown in the Asch Line Study. In this study participants would have to judge the lengths of lines and tell which one is most similar. A very simple task, but when the confederates in the study would say the wrong answer then the participant would also say the wrong answer even when they know it is not right. In another variation of the study the participant would write down the answers on a piece of paper instead of saying it out loud and in these cases the participant would put the right answer since they are not afraid of being judged by others. This is called normative social influence, which is when we act a certain way so that a group will like us more. As humans we want people to like us so it is not a ridiculous concept that we will do whatever the rest of the group does to fit in. I am sure that if I were in the elevator, or another similar situation I would do the same thing as the people that fell into the conformity. As entertaining as this video is it really does shed some light on how much of an effect conformity can have on people.
This video was a funny way to depict how the individuals in our society have become almost identical to each other. I think that the best way to see this in our actual lives would be to just walk around campus and analyze all the people who wear similar clothing and act alike. I remember when I was in high school, the fashion changed year to year. In example, one year everyone over the course of the summer turned out to preppy. These actions of the students in my high school were all done to fit in. Those who didn’t change their style slowly realized that they were standing out and sooner or later they also became preps. This occurs because nobody wants to stand out and be different. However, those who do stand out are usually very “popular” or they have been ridiculed so many times for being different that they are used to it. Furthermore, I believe that everyone has been in this situation before where they had to a make a similar decision. It was either sticking out and being made fun of or compromising ones beliefs and actions and taking the other route. These “invisible strings” seem to be pulling on everyone to act the same and feel the same. If our society encouraged diversity instead of pushing everyone to be the same we wouldn’t be in this situation. Then again our freedom is taken away no matter which way we look at the situation. From what I understood in class sociology looks at the society as a whole but claims that people should make their own decisions by decreasing the level of impact others have on his or her decision. I don’t think that this problem will ever be solved due to the way our society has been shaped. The media only makes matters worse because of its ability to reach wide audiences in a short amount of time. It tells us who to become and what we must believe in. The prejudices also occur because of this conformity. If anyone speaks against the prejudice they are usually labeled and pushed away from society.
This video shows the way that people in today’s society want to fit in, to conform to the people around us in order to not stand out or be viewed as different. This video is not only funny, but also interesting because you not only see the people moving to do the same thing as the group, but they try to do it slyly to look like they knew that it was normal or did it on their own. The man checking his watch as an excuse to turn is a prime example of this. People do not only want to fit in, but they also want to seem independent and as though they made the decision to blend in or follow the trend on their own without outside influence. Girls, for example, have all conformed to wearing leggings and UGGs to class on a regular basis, but I’m sure none would admit that they bought these clothing articles because they saw other girls wearing it, but rather that “they liked it” or that “its comfortable
. Why we do this could be explained in several ways which may be all correct, all incorrect, or completely off base depending on the individual. subconsciously we have a need to belong, but society, and our parents, tell us to be individuals, but society also wants us all to drive the cool cars, wear the sleek suit, jam to your ipod, and answer your blackberry on the bus. This type of experiment does not really need set up to be observed. A little while back, all you needed to do was go to any high school. If you found the small group of kids without an ipod then checked back in a few months they would all have purchased ipods. Not because they needed them, but because everyone else had them. There were a select few individuals who resisted the power of facebook for as long as they could, and now, chances are, they have succumbed. These are tricky scenarios, because we all know we do not need these things, but society tells us we are missing out until we hop on board with everyone else. The people in the elevator all turned as they were expected to turn. If asked why they probably would have said, Im not sure. Everyone else was doing it.
Conformity can impact society greatly as shown in the video. This video is a great demonstration that shows the influence conformity has on society. In class we discussed that informational social influence occurs in ambiguous social situations. Informational social influence is definitely a result from conformity. Human beings are very social mammals. Most of the time when we are in a situation where we might not agree to what others do or say at the end of the day we would agree anyways. The reason why is because no one likes to feel disliked by a group or isolated from the norms of the group so even though we don’t agree on what the group does or say to ignore the situation of feeling disliked we would agree. In class Sam concluded that, “people want to be social and liked so even though in situations we might disagree on things we will agree to what the group says.” In the elevator even though the target might have felt stupid for turning with the group he did anyways to fit in and be social and liked. The target showed that the tendency to go along with the group is stronger than our rational appraisals of reality. It is proven that we will conform to the group even if we don’t believe what people are saying or doing.
When I seen the video the first reaction was laughing. The video was very humorous in the sense that the target did everything the group did even though he knew exactly which way the elevator door would open. He probably felt very confused to why everyone else was doing the same thing but he still did it. The video perfectly also illustrates the principles of our culture and how eager we are to conform to the visions of others. I constantly hear people stressing the importance of being an individual and stressing the significance of expressing our own opinions. Even though we know what is right the principles of conformity and informational social influence shows us otherwise. Conformity is a great topic that illustrates the way our culture really is. It shows how we are very social by demonstrating what we do in situations where we might not agree with the group by agreeing anyways.
In society, everyone wants to be accepted and this video is a perfect depiction of that need to be accepted. The guy in the elevator faces the normal way everyone does when they get into the elevator but when the actors turn the opposite way he changes to make sure he blends in with the group. We also see that when the other people in the elevator take off their hat the guy who they are observing takes off his hat just the same. He also puts the hat back on when everyone in the elevator does so. This is not just a coincidence but its actually a proven method in sociology. Most people will do whatever it takes to fit in within a group of people no matter what it is. This blossoms the idea of groupthink, which can sometime lead to undesired results. For example, if there was someone who wanted to protest something publically, they could do so but without groupthink, not to many people will join in but with groupthink, it might end up with a riot. Groupthink also explains some old practices of suicide within a group of people for a cause such as a cult or even a religious sacrifice. But in society it is proven that people will most of the time do what you want them to do if enough other people do the same action. This reminds me of a quote that my mom always said and that is “if someone else jumped off a bridge does that mean that you would be the next one to jump off the bridge”. As a child I always said no, but looking at this issue of groupthink, I may be inclined to jump off that bridge if enough people did the same thing with me. What I am trying to say is even though there are always some people that do not conform to what society wants them to do there will always be a bigger group of people that are willing to conform to what society wants them to do. Groupthink is a very powerful element in the study of sociology.
I think it is safe to say that most people find this video very amusing. However, what I find amusing is that most people act like this, whether they know it or not. Human beings are very social creatures. It is because of this that we desire to interact with other people and share our opinions. We join teams and organizations based on our interests and we generally associate with people we can relate to. Therefore, it is only natural that people conform somewhat in engaging in behavior that can be associated to such groups. Although, in my humble opinion, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. I think that there are far too many fads and fashions that individuals buy into simply because they see other people doing the same or because somebody told them to. For example, who decided that Ugg boots and North Face jackets were cool? The boots are “Uggly” and from what I understand they don’t even hold up too well to the weather? Also, I cannot comprehend how looking exactly the same as everybody else with the same logo on your jacket makes you cool. And for the dudes that wear stupid clothes like Ed Hardy, don’t you realize you look like a jackass? Also, how can you justify spending so much money on a shirt just because there is a guy on a horse on it? On to the music scene, I find it hard to believe that so many people really enjoy listening to the shitty popular music today. It all sounds the same and is so unoriginal. I can’t go to a party without hearing the same music being played over and over again. I cannot even stand the crap and yet I could sing along with it if I really wanted to. I try to explain this phenomenon to myself and all I can ever come up with is that people are so desperate to be liked by so many people that they need to find a way to fit in. People worry so much about who they are going to offend and do not spend nearly enough time thinking about what they genuinely feel. The degree to which people have lost their individuality is a complete shame. As for me, ill continue to listen to my “outdated” music, wear whatever the hell I please, and speak my mind without worrying about who I’m going to piss off.
Even though the video is quite hilarious especially the last part where the person completely followed what the others in the group does, it shows how strong the power of sociology is. As we have discussed in class, we are strongly influenced and shaped by our surroundings and interactions, be it something that is direct or indirect to us, and whether or not we intend to do so. The invisible strings strongly influence our daily actions and decisions. As we can observe in the video, all the test subjects either partially or completely followed what the majority of others were doing; facing the back of the elevator, turning to the side, or taking off the hat. This is due to the influence of the 'invisible' strings tightening on the test subjects when they observe those differences in others. They could have just stood there and not change the way they were, but they changed in order to 'go along' with the others and no to be an abnormality in the group; in the elevator, in this case.
Other than that, it was also interesting to see that the first test subject also 'surrendered' to the invisible strings. He did at first hesitate to follow the group's actions, but then later slowly followed the group little by little. That just simply shows on how strong the invisible string influences him; how these strings influences us as well in our daily lives, and we would have never noticed them without being taught of such things in class.
I could not help but also think of group think as well, where group decisions are made based on the majority or the consensus of the group. Most of the time, the voices of the minority are looked over or ignored completely, which could actually be more important than the voices of the majority of the group. This would also impair the greater decisions that the group could have made. In this case, group 'action' might be the word for it.
My guess is that it would take a while, even for myself, to be able to NOT give in to these invisible strings. I do still only raise my hand for a survey by a lecturer depending on how many other people are raising their hand, as I still have that feeling of ‘being the only one’. Hopefully that all of us will be able to pull those invisible strings and rip them off when we have to, and be able to stand out from the crowd if we do have such a brilliant idea or action that we must perform, be it anyone might find it weird or completely silly. How would we know if our actions or ideas are indeed silly or brilliant if we did not have the courage to bring it to the table, or the courage to be different? Sometimes, being different is what makes us stand out from the crowd.
I think naturally as humans we conform. The video of the elevator was a good example. Another could be taking a seat in a classroom. Without thinking about it we sit in the same area as everyone else if it is a big classroom and not on the other side of the room alone. Naturally, everyone would take a glance and look at the kid sitting by himself and think something. Since we are social creatures our inclination is to do what the majority is doing in any situation. What we think are other people’s thoughts govern our actions and we always want to know what those thoughts are. When you are picking out an article of clothing you may ask whoever you’re with “do you think this is a good shirt?” Taking polls on issues is another example because when we take them we want to be assured that we think is what everyone is thinking. Shaking hands when greeting someone is a gesture we all follow and we think its rude not to because it’s been the established norm in the USA. No one wants to be the oddball of society, everyone wants to fit in. If we hear what other people are thinking the answer to a question is we wipe out our thoughts that may have been different and agree. If you are watching TV with a bunch of people and everyone suggests the same show and you were thinking of an entirely different one and may not even like the show that everyone wants to watch, you will still agree with the majority. This all stems from the idea that humans are social creatures. Everything we do is done with people for example, work and school. Naturally, we also want to be a part of a group and feel included in society. We have friends and are involved in networks and on your inclination, your friends are people who generally have the same opinions and act the same way as you do and you conform into your group of friends. The people who are the loners and don’t fit in are seen as strange by everyone else and since they don’t feel included some of these types of people kill themselves.
This video, though comical, demonstrates human beings and their decision-making. The sociological term ‘group think’ corresponds to the basis of this video. It is like copying what others around you are doing. Although humans may think they aren’t conforming and are making independent free decisions, the invisible strings of society prove them wrong. I have two takes on this video, and the concept that it portrays. The first way in which I think of it shows how people want to fit in and that they think what the majority of other people think or do is right. In the video, the man in the elevator didn’t stay the way he was facing; he conformed to the others by turning around. They mention in the video his individuality; by turning around and following the others, he is conforming and has lost his individuality. Humans conform and copy what others do to fit and to seem right. My second take is more optimistic. Yes, this video portrays humans conforming and ‘fitting in’, but it may be for different reasons. This man may be using logic and thinking “there is a good, real reason they are all facing the other way… maybe they all know it will open up this way.” (For example) It may not be because he needs to fit in, but maybe because he is using intelligence that if all of these people are doing it, it must be for a good reason, and therefore he will do the same. He is doing the same not because he wants to follow and stray away from his individuality, but because he has a change of though. Following a crowd will always be normal for all humans, maybe it is because of all of the judgment people place on others, everyone is insecure and no one wants to be wrong.