Social influence spreads beliefs locally, producing stable subcultural clusters instead of homogenization

Evidence

Dynamic social-impact theory applies this idea of social impact to understanding the development and sharing of beliefs within a large group of individuals, such as a culture. Latané and his colleagues assume that relevant beliefs are spread throughout the culture because individuals communicate with other individuals (usually those who are in close physical contact with them). And, in line with the power of social influence, it is expected that over time the size of the majority endorsing a belief will increase and the size of the minority will decrease. However, in comparison to what would be expected in smaller groups, dynamic social-impact theory does not predict that a society will become completely homogeneous in their beliefs. Rather, because individuals share ideas with others who are nearby (their “neighbors”), it specifically predicts that clusters (or subcultures) of individuals who hold similar beliefs will develop within the larger culture, and thus that there will be cultural diversity. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1910

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies dynamic social-impact theory’s core prediction of cluster formation over homogenization.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 1910
• XREF: connects to: Cultural change follows patterned diffusion from small groups outward, implying universal principles; The dominant theory treats cultural change as random viral contagion — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 16; Restricting concern to local issues stunts learning about the wider world — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 130 (+1 more)