Contagious: Public

Key Points:

• People often imitate those around them. They dress in the same styles as their friends, pick entrees preferred by other diners, and reuse hotel towels more when they think others are doing the same.
• If it is hard to see what others are doing, it's hard to imitate it. Making something more observable makes it easier to imitate. This a key factor in driving products to catch on is public visibility. If something is built to show, it's built to grow.
• Behaviors are public and thoughts are private.
• College students may personally be against binge drinking, but they binge drink because that is what they observe others doing.
• Public Visibility boosts word of mouth. The easier something is to see, the more people talk about it. Cues in the environment not only boost word of mouth but also remind people about things they already wanted to buy or do. 

Social Proof:

• Social Proof. People assume that the longer the line, the better the food must be. 
• Every time people use the product or service they also transmit social proof or passive approval because usage is observable. 

If you want to get people not to do something, don't tell them that lots of their peers are doing it. One way is to highlight what people should be doing instead. 

It's been said that when people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate one another. If something is built to show, it's built to grow.