Posted on 07/25/2011 3:51:55 PM PDT by decimon
Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.
“When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority,” said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. “Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.”
As an example, the ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt appear to exhibit a similar process, according to Szymanski. “In those countries, dictators who were in power for decades were suddenly overthrown in just a few weeks.”
The findings were published in the July 22, 2011, early online edition of the journal Physical Review E in an article titled “Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities.”
An important aspect of the finding is that the percent of committed opinion holders required to shift majority opinion does not change significantly regardless of the type of network in which the opinion holders are working. In other words, the percentage of committed opinion holders required to influence a society remains at approximately 10 percent, regardless of how or where that opinion starts and spreads in the society.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.rpi.edu ...
Yup—that was my question too.
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. Edmund Burke
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. Thomas Jefferson
YAEOBEYFR...
Yet Another Example Of Biased Education Yielding Flawed Research.
Researchers always want to write papers that they can stick a Title on which will be attention-grabbing because the research is purported to support a conclusion that is at once startling and counter-intuitive and, most importantly, supports the social theories that are politically correct amongst the intelligentsia.
Really?
You can’t swing a cat without hitting a Christian church. Turn your TV on Sunday morning and have your pick of televangelists. Prayers before social events, “God” on the money, CIA fact book lists U.S. population as 75+ percent Christian, magnetic fishes on the backs of cars, billboards promoting churches, Suday morning radio sermons, a bible in every hotel room, insurance companies giving discounts for being Christian, Christian bookstores, Christian marches and Christian holidays. I think your constitutional rights to promote and broadcast your faith are well intact.
“If there is a group of folks who are truly committed and willing to do the heavy lifting, they can drive the majority in their direction.”
That’s what I was thinking, too. It has alot to do with how passionate the 10% is. It doesn’t apply to just any 10%.
“If there is a group of folks who are truly committed and willing to do the heavy lifting, they can drive the majority in their direction.”
That’s what I was thinking, too. It has alot to do with how passionate the 10% is. It doesn’t apply to just any 10%.
Fascinating stuff - sounds like an agent-based model, set up with 90% indifferent, and 10% ideologically commited.
I find the results plausible - but it does ignore situations where you have 10% for, and 10% against, like lib vs conservative.
That is a lot of people.
Well, gee, thanks for that “freedom” sybaris.
That was roughly the white population figure at the time of the Revolution. The American Revolution had the greatest percentage of participants when compared to the French and Russian revolutions.
Do you realize you are saying four and a half million million people? I am not sure my calculator will keep up with that many zeros. That is four and a half Trillion people. That is more people than have ever been on this earth since the beginning of man. Today’s USA population is around 300 million people or one, one and a half millionth of that.
I see what you are saying. “My bad!”
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