One of the Persuasive Tech Lab’s projects has been to investigate Facebook and persuasion. This builds on the lab’s previous research into how Web 2.0 companies motivate and persuade people.

Facebook’s huge success is directly linked to its ability to persuade users. In BJ Fogg’s view, the best way to understand Facebook is to explore how this service is a platform for motivating and persuading people. No other perspective gives such insight into what makes Facebook tick. In other words, the psychology of Facebook is, at the core, the psychology of persuasion.

Facebook and Mass Interpersonal Persuasion

In 2007, BJ Fogg taught a novel course about Facebook which focused on optimizing Facebook apps by learning the psychology of Facebook and using engagement metrics to make good product decisions. The students used persuasive techniques to reach over 25 million people with their applications. The results of this course helped us tap into a new form of persuasion we call Mass Interpersonal Persuasion (MIP).

Psychology of Facebook Class at Stanford

In 2008 BJ Fogg taught a class at Stanford University called “Psychology of Facebook.” When planning the course, BJ Fogg invited people outside campus to join us. Many people did, either attending in person or watching the class live online.

A major course goal was to help participants become experts on some aspect of the psychology of Facebook. Students could select whatever topic they wished, and BJ Fogg would help them. Because his work focuses on the psychology of persuasion, Fogg encouraged the students to select topics that would give insight into how Facebook is a platform for changing attitudes and behaviors

Psychology of Facebook Project Team

The following people have contributed their time and energy to this project.

• BJ Fogg
• Kara Chanasyk
• Ben Henretig
• and many others