Thou Shalt Covet What Thy Neighbor Covets

When it comes to the things we buy, what other people think matters. A lot. Here's how the desires of strangers--inflamed by branders and marketers--mysteriously become our desires, too.

Many of us spend our days--or at least part of them--quietly cursing our fellow human beings. The guy in the Hummer who cuts us off at the intersection. The old woman in the supermarket line counting out pennies one by one. The tourist consulting a map right in front of the subway entrance. They may be annoying, but when all is said and done we actually rely on these people, and others like them, to help dictate our purchasing choices--with more than a little help from companies and marketers, of course.

When it comes to the things we buy, what other people think matters. A lot. Even when those people are complete strangers. One survey, by Opinion Research, shows that "61% of respondents said they had checked online reviews, blogs and other online customer feedback before buying a new product or service," and a similar 2008 study commissioned by PowerReviews showed that "nearly half of U.S. consumers who shopped online four or more times per year and spent at least $500 said they needed four to seven customer reviews before making a purchase decision." So persuasive are the opinions of others that while many of us are well aware that roughly 25% of these reviews are fakes written by friends, company staffers, marketers, and so forth, we purposely overlook this. We'd rather not think about that. And, frankly, we don't seem to care. As the Times of London points out, we are born to believe, in part, because a collective belief helps us to bond with others. In short, we want to trust in these messages, even when we may also be deeply skeptical.

source: www.fastcompany.com
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