Social influences and informational pressure

I suppose informational pressure and social influence all depend on what type of group environment we are participating in as well as our own personalities. Some individuals like to work in groups while other prefer to work alone. Some like face-to-face settings and others prefer an on-line environment.

When a group is productive, it relies on its members to do their own part within that group. Sustein argues that groups are more productive if the members are told, before deliberation begins, that "different members have different, and relevant information to contribute" (212). Another option is for the leader to not voice his or her opinion in order to have a positive deliberative experience. If everyone in the group feels his or her opinion will have a positive impact they be more likely to share their thoughts.

On the other hand, if a group relies solely on the information from the group leader to make a decision, the end result may be failure. The influential individual in the group may not be correct in his or her assumptions, but are adverse to change because of their terministic screen. If the group relies solely on the information from the leader in making a decision, the end result may be failure. By doing so those individuals are conceding to the language of the majority, and not voicing their opinion in order to conform in order to be accepted.

The Internet (open source software, wikis, etc) have opened up the door for more individuals to share their knowledge and ideas on various topics. These formats provide a widely dispersed nature of information and collective most often are accurate. I believe we will see more of these types of group environments and open souce format in the future.