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Social Influence and Sustainable Consumption pp 3–22Cite as

Introduction to Social Influence: Why It Matters

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Part of the book series: International Series on Consumer Science ((ISCS))

Abstract

This chapter introduces the subject of social influence which is how one person or group affects another’s opinions, attitudes, emotions, or behaviors. Social influence is applied to sustainable consumption. To illustrate the relationship, a new model of social influence flow is presented. A sub-topic is digital influences, the people who have a voice and loyal following on everything from Facebook to Instagram. These are types of social networks that involve communication and response. Digital influencers write product and service reviews that others read and respond to online or in their consumption behavior. A central theme is that as long as there are humans, there will be social influence.

Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.

Samuel Butler

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Elizabeth B. Goldsmith

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  1. Elizabeth B. Goldsmith
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Correspondence to Elizabeth B. Goldsmith .

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Goldsmith, E.B. (2015). Introduction to Social Influence: Why It Matters. In: Social Influence and Sustainable Consumption. International Series on Consumer Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20738-4_1

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