How Ideas Spread

Overview

Gain insight into the fascinating world of viral trends and your own decision-making behaviors with this course taught by a best-selling author and professor.

What makes one novel a bestseller, while a similar work languishes unnoticed? Why are the same few baby names suddenly everywhere? Why is everyone talking about that viral video? Welcome to the science of social epidemics: the cutting-edge study of why some ideas, products, and concepts spread wildly, while others quickly flame out.

Anyone who has something to sell, a cause to promote, or a message to spread knows that there are obstacles in creating a message that resonates, spreads, and sticks to make their product or idea the word on the street. Enormous sums of time and money have been spent trying to answer the question of why some ideas catch on.

And not only is it an ever-present challenge for businesses, governments, and organizations, but it has long been a source of inquiry for psychologists, economists, and sociologists as well. Now, in How Ideas Spread, discover what researchers studying the science of social transmission have learned.

Taught by Jonah Berger—a best-selling author, expert in social dynamics, and faculty member at the Wharton School—this enlightening course draws on lessons from business, social psychology, economics, and popular culture to give you the cross-disciplinary tools necessary to identify and promote contagious ideas that last.

Across 12 half-hour lectures filled with absorbing stories and intriguing information, you’ll learn the psychological and sociological mechanisms that lead products, ideas, and behaviors to catch on, plus specific techniques that can be applied in your personal and professional life, whatever your field or interest.

Listen to one powerful case study after another to find out how to leverage three main concepts—individual psychology, social influence, and social networks—to design infectious messages. Whether you’re a professional seeking guidance on crafting products and messages that grab hold, or you just want insights into how viral trends work, this course will open your eyes to the power of contagious ideas.

Course Structure

01: Social Epidemics-Why Things Catch On

What leads products, ideas, and behaviors to become popular? What causes them to die out? The answer lies in the science of how ideas spread, which you’ll begin to examine with the story behind Livestrong bracelets—one of the most notable social epidemics of our time.

Duration: 35 min

02: The Basics of Consumer Psychology

Why can seeing something more frequently make you like it more? Find out here, as you look at consumer psychology and the way we naturally process information. Understand what happens from the moment people are exposed to information and begin to develop perceptions, and learn how these basic cognitive processes influence what eventually catches on.

Duration: 30 min

03: The Impact of Triggers on Consumer Choice

Why might voting in a church versus a school change how you cast your ballot? Why would hearing French music at the grocery store make you more likely to buy French wine? Explore the phenomenon of triggers, from how they’re defined to how they influence what we like, what we buy, and top-of-mind awareness.

Duration: 27 min

04: Simple Rules to Make Ideas Stick

Why do some things stick in memory while other ideas are quickly forgotten? Find out here, as you learn how ideas that fit with the four key principles of human memory—simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, and credibility—tend to be “stickier” or more memorable.

Duration: 28 min

05: The Social Influence of Conformity

In the first of several lectures related to social influence, you’ll consider the phenomenon of conformity and its role in why ideas spread. You’ll learn why bartenders seed the tip jar, when people actually prefer waiting in line, and why conformity compels us to follow others even when we know they’re wrong.

Duration: 31 min

06: The Social Influence of Divergence

Social influence is like a magnet—it can attract or repel. As you explore the notion of divergence and the meaning of consumption, discover when and why people avoid following the crowd and how anti-conformity has caused once-popular cars, designer bags, and other products to fall out of favor with their original audience.

Duration: 30 min

07: Word of Mouth-Powerful and Persuasive

More than 10 times as effective as company-generated communications, word of mouth is a powerful tool—and it’s becoming more so each day. Examine the influence of word of mouth, how it differs from traditional advertising, and the role that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter play in shaping communication.

Duration: 28 min

08: The Social Currency of Shared Ideas

From cat videos to New York Times science articles, some online content goes viral while the bulk of it never gets more than 10 views. Some products get lots of word of mouth activity, while others are never discussed. Discover the six key drivers of social transmission that lead products, ideas, and behaviors to generate buzz.

Duration: 32 min

09: Messages That Go Viral

Wrap up the section on social influence by looking at the three remaining drivers of social transmission—stories, practical value, and making the private public—in the context of intriguing case studies. Learn about the failure of the “Just Say No” campaign, the success of a humble corn-husking video, and some shrewd design decisions by Apple.

Duration: 30 min

10: Social Networks-Channels of Influence

Could a person you barely know affect your behavior? Consider this question as you begin to explore the channels through which information and influence spread. Learn about different types of social ties and how these ties impact what people share, the jobs people get, and life in general.

Duration: 29 min

11: Social Influencers-Myths and Science

Are well-connected people or “influencers” the catalysts for ideas and products catching on? Examine this social-epidemic theory, the science behind how it does—or doesn’t—work, how likely it is to be true, and whether companies who pay reality TV star Kim Kardashian $10,000 per Tweet will see a return on their investment.

Duration: 27 min

12: Tracking Results-Big Data, Little Data

Conclude the course with a thought-provoking discussion of Big Data. Learn how Google tries to predict everything from flu outbreaks to retail and home sales, why companies need to monitor social media chatter, and whether our addiction to analytics might be leading us astray. Also, consider the rise of Little Data and the effects of measuring and tracking the minutiae of our everyday lives.

Duration: 27 min