The bandwagon effect is a phenomenon whereby adoption of beliefs, ideas, and trends increase the more that they have already been adopted by others; it's characterized by the probability of individual adoption increasing with respect to the proportion who have already done so. As more people come to believe in something, others also "hop on the bandwagon" regardless of the underlying evidence. It is commonly seen in politics and consumer behavior. The best illustration I've ever seen of the bandwagon effect can be seen in this @TED talk by @Derek Sivers: ::embed[https://www.youtube.com/embed/V74AxCqOTvg]{provider=youtube}

The first follower(s) have the power to transform a "lone nut" into a leader. Organizations that seek to facilitate bandwagon effect focus on nurturing the enthusiasm of first followers.

Contexts

• #social-engineering (See: @Social Engineering)