Definition
Informational Social Influence
The tendency to accept information from others as evidence about reality, especially in ambiguous situations. Drives the effectiveness of reviews and testimonials.
What does Informational Social Influence mean?
Informational social influence is the process of adopting other people's judgments as evidence about reality, especially when a situation is ambiguous and a person lacks confidence in their own assessment. The concept originates in classic social psychology conformity research and is distinct from wanting to fit in socially.
Why does Informational Social Influence matter?
It matters for reviews and testimonials because a visitor evaluating an unfamiliar product genuinely doesn't know if it's good, and reading detailed accounts from other buyers functions as real information that reduces uncertainty, not merely social pressure to conform. This is why specific, detailed reviews tend to outperform vague praise.
How is Informational Social Influence applied in practice?
It is applied by surfacing detailed, specific customer accounts rather than generic ratings alone, and its effect is measured by testing whether adding richer review content, such as photos or detailed written feedback, reduces hesitation and increases conversion compared to a star rating shown by itself.
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Where this fits
Informational Social Influence sits in the social proof part of the NotiProof resource network.
Read the Social Proof guide