The motivational driver based on social connections, influence, and comparison
Core Idea: Social Influence & Relatedness encompasses all social elements that motivate people, including mentorship, acceptance, feedback, companionship, competition, and the desire to connect with others or with cultural references that feel familiar.
Key Elements
Key Principles
- Leverages our nature as social beings who seek connection
- Creates motivation through comparison, competition, and collaboration
- Builds engagement through community recognition and feedback
- Taps into desires for belonging and social acceptance
- Activates motivation through mentorship and guiding others
Implementation Techniques
- Social networks and friend systems
- Collaborative challenges and team-based activities
- Competitive structures like leaderboards and rivalries
- Mentorship and teaching mechanics
- Social proof indicators (likes, shares, popularity metrics)
- Cultural references that create nostalgia or familiarity
- Community validation systems (voting, rating)
Psychological Foundations
- Appeals to fundamental human need for social connection
- Activates social comparison processes for self-evaluation
- Triggers mirror neurons through observing others' actions
- Creates identity formation through group affiliation
- Builds status through social recognition
Examples
- Facebook's friends and social feedback systems
- LinkedIn's endorsements and recommendations
- Multiplayer games with team competitions
- Platforms with user rating and reputation systems
- Products that leverage nostalgia for cultural touchpoints
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Social Psychology (principles of human social behavior)
- Applications: Community Building (techniques for fostering active communities)
- See Also: Social Proof (mechanism where people copy others' behavior)
References
- Chou, Y. (n.d.). Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards.
- Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
#gamification #social-influence #community #competition #collaboration #right-brain
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