FACEBOOKED Groupthink in the Era of Computer Mediated Social Networking A Modified Thesis Presented to the Faculty in Communication and Leadership Studies School of Professional Studies Gonzaga University ___________________________ Under the Mentorship of Dr. John Caputo Department of Communication and Leadership Studies ___________________________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies ___________________________ By Robert McKeever2 We the undersigned, certify that we read this thesis and approve is as adequate in scope and quality for the degree Master of Arts. ________________________________________________________________ Dr. Crandall (Faculty Reader) ________________________________________________________________ Dr. John Caputo (Faculty Mentor) Gonzaga University MA Program in Communication and Leadership Studies3 ABSTRACT This thesis is an exploration of the symptoms of Groupthink as they manifest themselves in the modern age of computerized social networking. What began as a social-psychological condition used to explain the policy blunders of governments and organizations, Groupthink has evolved into the computerized landscape, and in so doing has provided researchers a new medium for investigating the process. The study investigates specific political events tied to this condition, providing a historical examination of the profound manner that Groupthink has shaped society and how it will mold the future of computer mediated interaction. The thesis also evaluates research methodologies presently being used to diagnose the symptoms of Groupthink in organizational settings. This analysis is an instrumental part of the thesis because Groupthink research is notably difficult to conduct in clinical conditions utilizing the scientific method. However, because social networking sites do not follow the same rules governing the organizational structures previously being tested – they provide a unique means for compiling empirical data pertinent to Groupthink study. The task however, is discovering where the exact defects are in Groupthink and the errors that stem from them. The principal question of this research is to identify if the ever-growing trend towards Internet-based social networking, like Facebook, can provide researchers with successful strategies for clinically evaluating the process of Groupthink. Using this model, tangible solutions for combating Groupthink are possible.4 Table of Contents CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 5 Importance of the Study 5 Statement of the Problem 6 Definition of Terms 8 Organization of Remaining Chapters 12 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 13 Philosophical Assumptions 13 Perception of Unanimity: 13 Discounting Warnings and Dismissing Conflicting Views: 16 Group Bias and Stereotyping: 17 Group Member Conformity: 18 Mindguards: 20 Invulnerability and the Illusion of Morality: 21 Answers to Critiques 22 The Facebook Phenomenon 22 An Overview of Facebook 23 Research Questions 26 CHAPTER III: SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY 29 Scope of the Study 29 Methodology of the Study 30 CHAPTER IV: THE STUDY 32 Groupthink on Facebook 32 Group Cohesion and Mobilization 34 Usefulness of the study 39 CHAPTER V: Summaries and Conclusions 44 Limitations of the study 44 Recommendations for Further Study 48 Conclusions 48 Reference List 50 Appendixes 59 Appendix A 59 Appendix B 60 Appendix C 615 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Importance of the Study The political community is, by design, a small-scale model of the society that it represents. Leaders constantly test the waters of popular opinion to gauge the acceptability of decisions and the perceived detriment of political outcomes. This construct, however, is vulnerable to mismanagement and can just as easily lead to misguided decision-making without strong leadership encouraging the coalescence of good ideas in the face of disagreement. This community construct, which Kouzes and Posner use as a metaphor for organizations (Kouzes & Posner, 2003), requires guidance towards cooperative outcomes without succumbing to Groupthink (Janis, 1982). Unfortunately, until recently, there has been little transparency into the proceedings leading to many of these outcomes. That, and those that do become public knowledge, do so several years following the incident, and almost certainly in the context of being exposed as past failures. As such, documented managerial strategies undertaken during tremendously successful initiatives seldomly reach the research community for thorough academic inspection of the presence of Groupthink in such scenarios. Adding to this research hurdle is the reality that conducting research on the condition is highly limited because multiple symptoms are difficult to recreate in lab conditions utilizing the scientific method. However, this does not mean that the academic analyses of past cases of Groupthink lack value. What we do gather from these far more prevalent accounts of documented failures, in particular elements contributing to their failure – is a blue print6 for avoidance. With this pre-existing model and newer research techniques on online group interaction in social networking sites, solving the Groupthink puzzle is becoming an increasingly tangible goal. Because the “workplace” of international diplomacy and decision-making is continuously gravitating toward a more computer-mediated landscape, research into how the Groupthink condition manifests itself in an online community is imperative for gaining insight into the potential decision-making hurdles facing future leaders operating in the Internet realm. An investigational model for this process in relation to online leadership dynamics warrants development in order to equip decision-making groups with the necessary organizational training in critically evaluating their own perspectives so they may avoid the Groupthink trap. That is, if they are to avoid allowing the pitfalls, that plagued decision-makers in the traditional organizational constructs, from cascading over into the computer-mediated community. Examining these diverse models helps in the