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Herd mentality
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- Someone: "Moo."
- Someone else: "Moo."
- Media: "Moo."
- More people: "Moo."
- A lot more people: "Moo."
The herd mentality, also known as mob mentality, is an evolutionary adaptation in primates that involves copying what other members of one's tribe, clan, village, etc. are doing, presumably for the sake of social cohesion. Due to modern telecommunications, the effect can be planet-wide, although usually it is confined within individual cultures. It is synonymous with Meme Theory.
What the basic principle means is that many people do not think for themselves about various issues, but follow what they perceive as the "herd".
This principle is commonly used by business advertisers, giving the impression that their product or service is used by many and thus influencing consumers to follow the "herd".
The greatest example of this, however, is religion. People go along with what people around them think, particularly their parents and family, and are so convinced they are right, without ever thinking for themselves. There are numerous different beliefs, all of which have believers believing they are right, even though someone else who believes something different that contradicts their belief is just as confident about their beliefs.