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The bandwagon effect of collaborative filtering technology

Advancements in collaborative filtering and related technologies have resulted in the ubiquitous presence of other users' opinions and actions on a variety of Websites and portals, ranging from news to music to photo sites. But, do these cues about others' behaviors guide our own decisions online? Our lab group has begun exploring this "bandwagon effect" from a variety of perspectives. In one pilot study reported here, outcomes such as purchase intention and attitudes toward products on an e-commerce site are dictated by user perceptions of others' opinions about the site's products. Empirical determination of the cues triggered by collaborative filtering technologies and the psychological mechanisms by which they lead to bandwagon effects have important implications for interface design of technologies that display user input.