Groupthink Among Communities

Groupthink: is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect or deviant decision-making outcome.

I think groupthink is very common among decisions made by groups. Rarely can large groups come to one crystal clear consensus without having Groupthink in one way, shape or form. I don’t think that Groupthink is always a bad thing, in some cases it might work out well for the group/situation. In every group there are different personalities, some group members will be extroverted and enjoy sharing their opinion and some are bound to be introverts, who are hard to crack open. Because of these differences in personalities Groupthink happens. Those who are louder or more passionate about a subject sway the group’s ideas or decisions one way or another.

So one of the questions we needed to look at is “What are the effects of consensus in a group?” I think the best answer is that a group consensus will never accurately show everyone’s true and honest opinion. Consensuses will usually be led by those who are more willing to talk and share their ideas.

I see this on my newsfeed all the time. There are those who are very passionate about guns, gun control, legalizing gay-marriage, pro-family, pro-choice etc. These are the types of people who are willing to share their opinions and thus shape opinions of others in their groups and networks. They are the people who take over social media with their opinion. They are the people who write edgy blog posts that go viral. They are the people who argue and comment on anything that is opposing their opinion.

Another question we needed to look at was "How do social pressures effect the dynamics of a group?"

Expressing ourselves and our opinions is a very important part of social media. I do think that we need

 to be careful in group settings though, even on social media. We need to make sure that everyone is being heard and we need to be open-minded enough to realized that there are more opinions than just our own. I think that consensuses in groups can lead to groupthink. It can limit some people’s ideas and opinions and force them to go along with the group. It can change people’s personal views for the need to fit it. That is one scary reality that social media brings to the table. 

We all have these friends and individuals on our networks who are constantly trying to force their opinions on others. I know I have my fair share of those people on my networks. I am not going to attach any pictures like I normally do--I don't want to offend them! Groupthink is a real thing and can both positive and negative consequences!