Chapter 17: Quiz — Social Proof and Manufactured Consensus

Instructions: Select the best answer for each question. Each question has one correct answer.

Question 1 Robert Cialdini's foundational book on social influence, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, was first published in:

A) 1974 B) 1979 C) 1984 D) 1991

Question 2 According to Cialdini, social proof is most powerful under which two conditions?

A) Authority and scarcity B) Uncertainty and similarity C) Reciprocity and liking D) Commitment and consistency

Question 3 The evolutionary logic for social proof suggests that it is adaptive because:

A) Humans are inherently conformist and prefer to agree with others B) In environments of information scarcity, others' behavior provides valuable data about the world C) Following the crowd is always epistemically more accurate than independent reasoning D) Social animals evolved to prioritize group harmony over individual assessment

Question 4 Which of the following best describes an "information cascade" in the context of social media?

A) A situation where platform algorithms select which information to show to users B) A situation where people rationally defer to others' apparent choices rather than relying on their own private information C) A flood of notifications that overwhelm users' ability to process information D) The process by which viral content jumps from one platform to another

Question 5 The Facebook "like" button was introduced in:

A) 2006 B) 2007 C) 2008 D) 2009

Question 6 According to the chapter, what makes share counts a stronger social proof signal than like counts?

A) Share counts are more prominently displayed in platform interfaces B) Sharing requires more effort than liking, suggesting greater endorsement of the content C) Share counts are harder to purchase than like counts D) Shares are visible to a larger audience than likes

Question 7 The 2012 "Instagram Follower Purge" was significant because it:

A) Permanently solved the fake follower problem on Instagram B) Revealed the extent to which social proof signals on the platform had been manufactured C) Led Instagram to remove follower counts from public profiles D) Was the first time any social media platform addressed fake accounts

Question 8 "Coordinated inauthentic behavior" differs from simple bot account use in that:

A) It is legal, whereas simple bot use is illegal B) It involves real human accounts acting in coordinated ways rather than purely automated accounts C) It is much easier to detect than bot accounts D) It is used primarily for commercial rather than political purposes

Question 9 An "engagement pod" is best described as:

A) A group of users who pay a platform for premium analytics access B) A coordinated group of accounts that mutually like and comment on each other's content to boost engagement metrics C) A tool used by platforms to identify fake engagement D) A feature that allows brands to target advertising to engaged users

Question 10 The Muchnik et al. (2013) study was published in which journal?

A) Nature B) Psychological Science C) Science D) Journal of Consumer Research

Question 11 The key finding of the Muchnik et al. (2013) experiment was that:

A) Users spend significantly more time on social platforms when like counts are visible B) An artificial initial upvote created lasting bias — posts with early fake likes received approximately 25% more genuine upvotes over time C) Social proof signals have no meaningful effect on how users engage with content D) Users who receive more likes report higher subjective wellbeing

Question 12 Vosoughi, Roy, and Aral's 2018 Science paper on information spread found that false news stories:

A) Spread more slowly than true stories but to larger total audiences B) Spread significantly faster and further than true stories on Twitter C) Spread at the same rate as true stories but to more politically polarized audiences D) Were more likely to be shared by bot accounts than by human users

Question 13 According to the chapter, why does misinformation often outperform accurate information on social proof metrics?

A) Social media algorithms are programmed to amplify false content B) False content is simpler and therefore more widely understood C) False or emotionally inflammatory content tends to generate stronger emotional responses, driving higher engagement rates D) Misinformation is typically created by users with large pre-existing follower bases

Question 14 The "circular logic" of trending algorithms refers to the fact that:

A) Trending algorithms cycle through different content categories on a fixed schedule B) Content trends because it is popular, and then becomes more popular because it is trending — a self-fulfilling prophecy C) The same content tends to trend repeatedly on the same day each week D) Trending topics always return to the same political or cultural themes over time

Question 15 In what year did Instagram begin testing the removal of visible like counts in several countries?

A) 2017 B) 2018 C) 2019 D) 2020

Question 16 The Instagram like count removal experiment ultimately resulted in:

A) A mandatory global removal of like counts from all posts B) A complete restoration of like counts after user protest C) An opt-in option allowing users to choose whether to hide like counts D) A permanent ban on like counts for users under 18

Question 17 The chapter's discussion of the influencer economy suggests that purchased followers create a market problem known as:

A) Price fixing B) Adverse selection — brands cannot reliably distinguish genuine from purchased social proof C) Moral hazard — brands engage in risky spending because they are insured against losses D) The tragedy of the commons — everyone benefits from fake followers so nobody prevents them

Question 18 According to the Velocity Media audit described in the chapter, approximately what percentage of content achieving trending status showed early engagement patterns consistent with coordinated inauthentic behavior?

A) 2% B) 6% C) 12% D) 25%

Question 19 Dr. Johnson's response to the Velocity Media trending audit argued that better bot detection was insufficient because:

A) Bot detection technology is inherently unreliable B) The structural problem — using engagement metrics as proxies for quality — would persist even with better detection C) The trending feature should be replaced with editorial curation by human journalists D) Users would never trust a trending algorithm that had previously been compromised

Question 20 The Maya sidebar in this chapter primarily illustrates which concept?

A) How teenagers are uniquely susceptible to social media addiction B) How users rely on social proof signals (view counts, likes, comments) to assess content credibility, even when those signals have been manufactured C) How influencer marketing specifically targets adolescents D) How content creators game the algorithm to maximize reach

Question 21 The chapter argues that the Instagram like count removal experiment revealed which paradox?

A) Users who wanted to remove like counts also wanted to see other users' like counts B) Platforms that benefit from social proof signals are incapable of removing them C) Users who found like counts stressful also used them as navigational tools for evaluating content D) Removing social proof signals reduced engagement so severely that platforms could not sustain the intervention

Question 22 Which of the following represents the most direct evidence that social proof signals on social media are not reliable proxies for content quality?

A) The fact that users report finding social media stressful B) The existence of markets for purchased followers and engagement C) The Muchnik et al. finding that early fake likes bias subsequent genuine engagement, plus the finding that false news outperforms true news on engagement metrics D) The Instagram like count removal experiment's mixed results

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