Conformity, Compliance and Obedience in the Modern day and age

Humans are inherently social beings. A significant part of ourselves, from our beliefs and preferences to our actions, is shaped by our relationships and interactions with others. The social self is the part of our identity defined through connections with friends, family, colleagues, and broader communities. It helps us make sense of ourselves, guides our decisions, and influences how we navigate the world. Yet this same social nature makes us susceptible to influence, pressure, and direction from others. Conformity, compliance, and obedience are ways this influence plays out, and in today’s hyperconnected world, understanding them is more important than ever.

Conformity is the adjustment of one’s behaviour or thinking to match that of a group, a concept that was first highlighted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s. His famous line-judgment experiments showed that participants would choose incorrect answers simply to fit in with the majority. Today, conformity is just as visible online. Social media feeds highlight popular opinions, trending hashtags, and viral challenges, creating subtle peer pressure. People often like, share, or comment in ways that align with group norms even when they privately disagree. From participating in viral TikTok trends to adopting widely supported viewpoints on social platforms, online conformity demonstrates that the human desire to belong still remains powerful.

According to Robert Cialdini, Compliance is changing one’s behaviour in response to a direct request, often without internal agreement. Early studies showed techniques such as the foot-in-the-door effect, where agreeing to a small request increased the likelihood of agreeing to a larger one. In the modern world, compliance is omnipresent, from online petitions to influencer marketing campaigns. People are more likely to comply when a request comes from someone they know or admire, or when it appears socially endorsed. AI-driven prompts and digital nudges further increase compliance by reducing effort and framing actions as normal or expected, making influence feel convenient rather than forceful.

Obedience is defined as a form of social influence in which an individual acts in response to a direct order from an authority figure, a definition grounded in the work of Stanley Milgram. Milgram’s experiments in the 1960s revealed that ordinary people would deliver what they believed were harmful shocks simply because an experimenter instructed them to do so. In contemporary society, obedience still exists but often appears less overt. Increased awareness of authority misuse, ethical violations, and historical harm has made people more likely to question orders rather than follow them blindly. In workplaces, institutions, and digital platforms, obedience now often operates through systems, policies, and algorithms rather than direct commands. At the same time, growing access to information has encouraged resistance, whistleblowing, and rebellion, showing that awareness can weaken obedience by empowering individuals to challenge authority.

These forms of social influence raise important ethical concerns in today’s digitally connected world. While conformity, compliance, and obedience can help society function smoothly, they can also spread misinformation, strengthen harmful norms, and discourage independent thinking. Becoming more aware of how influence works, both openly and subtly, is an important first step. Building media literacy, questioning authority and group norms, and listening to different viewpoints can help people make more thoughtful choices. Understanding these influences allows individuals to balance the need to belong with the ability to think critically and act responsibly.

So the next time you see something online, whose influence are you really responding to?