Book Title: Multidisciplinary Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Chief Editors: Dr. Jagdish Kumar Sahu, and Dr. Byram Anand
Associate Editors: Dr. J. Jayamani, and Albeen Josebh Ahmed
Co-Editors: Dr. Sunakshi Verma, and Mr. Pankaj Bharat Devre
ISBN: 978-93-7183-018-8
Chapter: 8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59646/781/8
Author: Dr. N. Bargavi
Abstract
The social media, online forums and digital communications have evolved so quickly that people are communicating, forming opinions and making collective decisions in a new way. They have also made group thinking more common in these online settings, a phenomenon that stems from a pressure to conform or be accepted by a group or community that stifles critical thinking, independent judgment and divergent thinking. The present research paper explores the psychological mechanisms of ‘digital herd behaviour’, and looks for some factors that lead to groupthink in online communities, how the groupthink affects individual decision making and the effects of groupthink on information sharing and public discourse. The results suggest that algorithm-driven content exposure, the social validation mechanisms, confirmation bias, fear of social exclusion, and fast spread of emotionally charged information greatly affect the group think in online communities. These psychological and technological aspects create pressure to agree with the dominant group’s views, and discourage thinking about other views. Moreover, the results show that the effects of the digital herd behavior reach beyond individuals’ decisions and can lead to misinformation, polarization in a digital space, a decrease in the diversity of opinion and reinforcement of echo chambers. The study also provides some practical recommendations to minimize group think, such as raising digital literacy, designing platforms that allow exposure to diverse points of view, designing transparent content recommendation systems, and educating on critical thinking. The results are relevant to the ongoing research on social psychology and digital communication as they provide empirical-based suggestions to build inclusive, informed and resilient online communities.
Keywords: Groupthink, Online communities, Digital herd behavior, Social media, Psychological dynamics, Conformity, Echo chambers, Confirmation bias, Digital communication, Critical thinking