« New Stanford Course on Facebook Apps (well, sort of) | Main | Upcoming Keynote in Europe: Persuasion, Emotions & Simplicity »
September 17, 2007
Picture Persuasion in Facebook
Part 1 of 3
Written for the Facebook Group Psychology of Facebook with Dr. BJ Fogg
This Facebook image has persuaded millions. Here's how . . .
-------
Picture Persuasion in Facebook
BJ Fogg
Persuasive Technology Lab
Stanford University
Our young friend Facebook would have died long ago if the site didn't push users to upload Profile Pictures. Yes, it's true: on Facebook our mugshots are much more than decorations. The images we post do more much than amuse our friends.
As a psychologist I'm intrigued by Facebook's approach to Profile Pictures. In fact, I believe this little feature has been the launching point for Facebook's enormous success.
In this post I'm not talking about the photos themselves. (I'll write about that later.) My intrigue is in how Facebook leverages Profile Pictures to start people down a long path of future persuasion.
When you upload your mugshot in Facebook, you signal to yourself--and to your friends--how you'll respond to influence attempts farther down the Facebook road. With that confirmation, your whole network creeps forward, a caravan of compliance.
Think about it: On Facebook almost no one refuses to post a Profile Picture.
Who can resist?
Here's the situation: You've already joined Facebook, you see all your friends have posted photos, and then you post one too. At that point none of us is thinking about being persuaded or manipulated. We just want to move on to the real business of Facebook: accumulating friends.
But wait!
Something important just happened, and we didn't even notice.
At the point we posted our mugshot, our friends could all see we said yes to "Upload a profile picture." Ah, the joy of social complicity! But even more important, this simple act changes us, deep inside. Our relationship with Facebook gets cozier. Facebook is no longer a stranger; it's a friend. And as such, we become much more likely to agree to future requests on Facebook. Yes, the picture compliance seems small, but the timing is ideal for training us well.
That's the genius of Facebook. The pattern of persuasion is established early and often. Indeed, this pattern has made Facebook, Inc., enormously wealthy.
I find the whole thing fascinating.
Facebook is a persuasive technology. By this I mean that Facebook is a interactive system designed to change human behaviors.
I've investigated persuasive technology at Stanford since 1993. I can say that during this year, in 2007, no other technology system has been more powerfully persuasive than Facebook. That's something I admire. I must say that if my Stanford Lab were giving prizes in persuasive technology, we would award Facebook this year's gold medal.
---
Here's the technique behind Profile Pictures . . .
When you first join Facebook, your Profile Picture is a large, ugly question mark. This was an excellent default choice by Facebook. The question mark naturally calls to be replaced. And this act is important: Every time someone uploads a new picture, they add value to Facebook, Inc.
But what happens when someone doesn't upload a photo?
Maybe you've seen this before . . .
When deviants don't upload a Profile Picture, their friends may start to apply pressure, enforcing the culture of Facebook. Friends may write comments on the deviant's Wall. They may say, "Hey, upload a photo!" or "Where's your face pic?"
Eventually, the compliance rate is almost 100%. That's remarkable. I can think of no other persuasive technology that performs better than Facebook's Picture Profile system.
The universal compliance is even more remarkable when you consider what a big step it is to upload a photo. First, you have to think of a photo you want to post. Then you have to find the digital file. And then you need to upload the photo and set your thumbnail. (If this sounds easy to you, then you've joined way too many social networks!)
Most Facebook users replace the default question mark with their own photo, not of Mickey Mouse or Madonna. This is important to Facebook's commercial success. Every upload of a real photo enhances the credibility of Facebook. And it's precisely this--credibility--that sets Facebook apart from most other social networks. In practical terms, the cumulative credibility allows Facebook to charge more for advertising.
Facebook credibility, of course, is not the end user's goal when uploading a real photo. As users we don't care much about what Facebook can charge for ads.
When we post a photo, we're trying to achieve our own goals, not enhance Facebook, Inc's bottom line. Even though our personal goals vary, it seems clear we all select a photo that we hope affects how our friends think about us. In other words, mugshot selection is a persuasive act. This is a topic I'll address later.
So . . . until we open that new can of worms, I'll wrap up with this teaser: Your mugshot is the most important element on your Facebook Profile Page, even more important than your name.
--Dr. BJ Fogg
September 2007
----------
For more on the psychology of Facebook, see our lab's Facebook page here: http://captology.stanford.edu/facebook.html
Posted by BJ Fogg at September 17, 2007 03:49 PM