The Crowd Isn’t Always Wise: Social Proof, Leadership, and the Risk of Copying Wrong

“Madness is something rare in individuals, but in parties, groups, peoples and ages, it is the rule.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

We like to believe that people follow the best ideas. Too often, we just don’t.

We follow the most visible, most repeated, most normalized behaviors. That’s the essence of the Law of Social Proof: when uncertain, we look to others for cues. If enough people are doing it, we assume it must be right.
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