Social Proof
Quick Definition: First described in Influence, refers to the increasing perceived value of any particular person within a social setting, usually through explicit or implicit DHVs.
Full Definition:
Social proof is great for building attraction, value, and lowering bitch shields at any venue or social gathering. Short term social proof refers to the events that happen as soon as a PUA is in a venue (or as Mystery likes to say, ‘when you are on stage’), and each consecutive event that gives evidence of his higher value.
Social Proof in Lifestyle Building
Long term social proof can derive from fame, personal branding, an association with another entity (business, charity, school, club promotion company), family lineage, among other things. These traits are general well known within the immediate community and becomes the PUA’s personal brand that communicate, memorably and quickly, his core values to the marketplace.
Please note that social proof need not be real, they only have to be strong evidence of the PUA’s perceived value. Long term, however, it becomes increasingly more difficult to sustain DHVs and social proof if the proof is inconsistent with the PUA’s core personality.
The concept of social proof is especially important in women, and is related to the concept of preselection. Because it takes a woman a longer time to judge a man’s S&R value, whereas we can defer it right away by looking at her, the signals that are sent out via social proof about the man’s social value is amplified. Whereas we (men) will be enticed by a rich Cougar, we will still refrain from bedding her if she’s hideous looking. The women who sleeps with the rich ugly old man, however, is still considered to be getting a good deal.
Example of the power of social proof on a Japanese Gameshow:
Social Proof in Marketing
Advertisers have long since tapped into the power of social proof by showing commercials with girls fondling over guys as the man learns to use the proper shampoo for his hair. Online marketers learn to generate the “everyone is buying this” effect, to which others must reason that the product is good if it is being sold out at such a high rate.
Usage:
By knowing the staff at Matrix, I have a lot of social proof when I come to this place.
Further Reading:
- http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/27/social-proof-why-people-like-to-follow-the-crowd/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proof
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini
Related Terms: DHV, Flash Game, Venue, Proximity, AI, pAImAI, Social Circle, Preselection, Stripper Game, Pivot, Tribe, Pawn
Source: Robert Cialdini
Definition by Vince Lin
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