• Review the Hock (2020) readings on social psychology theories and principles. Think about the influence of environmental and social context on behavior.
• Reflect on the following social media scenario: You are reading posts on your favorite social media site when you come across a post by a 19-year-old male. He writes that he was raped at a party last night, and he's afraid they will post pictures of it online. He is contemplating suicide. You notice three types of behaviors in the comments to him:

1. A small group of individuals are using profanity and belittling him. They are encouraging him to commit suicide.
2.  A larger group of individuals are making supportive comments and providing the number for a crisis helpline.
3. Many of his online followers have not responded to his post.

• Think about how social psychology theories or principles could be applied to explain the types of comments made to the 19-year-old in the scenario.

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

• Describe the impact of social context on conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors.
• Explain how social psychology theories or principles could be applied to account for each of the responses in the scenario (e.g., which principles/theories could explain response type A; which principles/theories could explain response type B, and so on). Be sure to support your assertions with scholarly content.
• Based on what you have learned about social psychology, provide at least one recommendation to help reduce the derogatory comments or increase the number of supportive comments in the scenario.

Note: Support your statements with specific references to the Learning Resources and any additional sources you identify using both in-text citations and references. It is strongly recommended that you include proper APA format and citations. 

Reflect on the following social media scenario: You are reading posts on your favorite social media site when you come across a post by a 19-year-old male. He writes that he was raped at a party last night, and he's afraid they will post pictures of it online. He is contemplating suicide. A small group of individuals are using profanity and belittling him. A larger group of individuals are making supportive comments and providing the number for a crisis helpline. Many of his online followers have not responded to his post.

Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate with others in our daily lives. It has become a platform where people can share their thoughts, emotions, and experiences with a broader audience. However, social media can also negatively affect sensitive topics such as rape or sexual assault.

In this scenario, a 19-year-old male shares his experience of being raped at a party and expresses fear that pictures of the incident will be posted online. He also mentions that he is contemplating suicide.

The first group of individuals responding to the post uses profanity and belittles the young man who shared his traumatic experience. This type of behavior is an example of what psychologists call deindividuation.

When people feel anonymous in a group setting (such as online), they may feel less accountable for their actions and, therefore, more likely to engage in aggressive or hostile behavior without fear of consequences. In this particular case, deindividuation contributes to further harm to the victim.

On the other hand, some individuals within the social media platform provide supportive comments and resources like crisis hotlines for victims of sexual assault. This response from these individuals showcases another aspect of social psychology - prosocial behavior.

Prosocial behavior refers to actions that benefit others without regard for one's self-interests or gain. These individuals demonstrate empathy towards the victim by providing support rather than judgment.

It's important to note that many followers may not have responded to this post positively or negatively, which could be due to bystander apathy or diffusion of responsibility among large groups online where everyone assumes someone else will take action instead. This scenario exemplifies how social psychology theories and principles can relate to real-world situations on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., demonstrating how different factors impact human behaviors online in ways similar (or other) to offline face-to-face interactions.

Describe the impact of social context on conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors.

Social context enormously impacts a person's behavior, especially in situations involving conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors. Conformity is the tendency of individuals to adjust their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to match those of the group they belong to.

One classic study on conformity is Asch's line experiment, where participants were asked to select which line was the same length as another line. The results showed that when most of the group provided an incorrect answer, participants were more likely to conform and give the same wrong answer.

Obedience is another area where social context can have a significant impact. In Milgram's obedience study, participants were instructed by an authority figure to give electric shocks to another person if they answered questions incorrectly.

Despite hearing screams of pain from the other person (who was a Confederate), over 60% of participants continued to administer shocks up to the highest level despite their discomfort and distress. This study highlighted how individuals are likely to obey orders an authority figure gives, even if it goes against their own moral standards.

Helping behaviors are also influenced by social context, with research suggesting that people are more likely to help others when others around them are also helping. Social psychologists have identified a phenomenon called the "bystander effect," where individuals are less likely to offer help in emergencies when many other people are present because they assume someone else will take responsibility for intervening.

Overall, it is clear that social context has a powerful influence on our behavior in various contexts, including conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors. Understanding this influence can help identify ways to encourage positive attitudes and actions among people in different situations based on their social environment.

Explain how social psychology theories or principles could be applied to account for each of the responses in the scenario. Be sure to support your assertions with scholarly content.

Social psychology theories and principles provide an understanding of how individuals behave in the presence of others, especially in social contexts. In the scenario described, we can apply several social psychology theories and principles to explain why some individuals post derogatory comments while others show support. One relevant theory is Social Identity Theory, which demonstrates that people derive their sense of identity and self-worth from their social group membership.

In the scenario, those who post derogatory comments are likely trying to protect their self-esteem by distancing themselves from the victim and aligning themselves with their in-group members who may have committed the rape. Another relevant principle is the bystander effect, which states that individuals are less likely to intervene when other people are present in an emergency.

This principle applies well to the scenario because many followers may not have responded due to diffusion of responsibility – they feel that since there are already many supportive comments, they do not need to contribute either. However, those who responded with supportive comments may have overcome this effect by realizing that their help was necessary for the victim's well-being.

The cognitive dissonance theory also helps explain how individuals react in social situations like this. This theory suggests that when individuals encounter information or problems that conflict with their beliefs or values, they experience a state of discomfort known as cognitive dissonance.

In this case, those posting derogatory comments may be experiencing cognitive dissonance because they hold beliefs about rape being wrong. Still, they are also part of a group or culture where demeaning victims is acceptable or even encouraged. Applying social psychology theories and principles helps provide insight into why people behave differently in social contexts such as on social media.

The Social Identity Theory explains how people derive self-worth from group affiliation, while the bystander effect describes how people can feel less responsible for intervening when others are present. Moreover, cognitive dissonance theory explains why people might act contrary to their beliefs or values in certain social situations.

Provide at least one recommendation to help reduce the derogatory comments or increase the number of supportive comments in the scenario, based on what you have learned about social psychology

One recommendation for reducing derogatory comments and increasing the number of supportive comments in the scenario is to use social norms to influence behavior. Social norms refer to the unwritten rules that govern behavior in a particular society or group. In this scenario, the derogatory comments are likely influenced by a perceived norm that it is acceptable to belittle victims of rape.

Conversely, the supportive comments are likely influenced by a perceived norm that it is essential to offer empathy and support to victims of sexual assault. To change behavior, it may be helpful to highlight and reinforce positive social norms while challenging negative ones.

One way to do this would be for influential online community members (e.g., individuals with many followers) to post messages encouraging supportive behavior and explicitly rejecting derogatory behavior. This could help shift perceived norms towards more empathetic and supportive responses.

Another recommendation would be to inform people of their biases through education and training programs. Prejudices are often unconscious, which means people may not even realize they hold them.

By providing information about common biases (such as stereotypes about rape victims), individuals may become more aware of their assumptions and better challenge them when interacting online. Creating community guidelines or rules could help establish clear expectations for behavior on social media platforms.

These guidelines could prohibit derogatory or harmful comments while emphasizing the importance of offering support and empathy. By setting clear expectations for behavior, individuals may feel more accountable for their actions online and be more likely to engage in positive behaviors rather than negative ones.

Reducing derogatory comments and increasing supportive responses in online communities requires a multi-faceted approach considering individual-level factors (e.g., biases) and broader cultural factors (e.g., social norms). By using strategies such as promoting positive social standards, providing education about preferences, and establishing clear community guidelines, we can work towards creating more empathetic and supportive online spaces.

Conclusion

The scenario presented in the article involving the 19-year-old male who was raped at a party, and the subsequent reactions of his followers on social media, is a clear example of how social context influences behavior. The responses ranged from derogatory and belittling comments to supportive and empathetic messages.

Social psychology theories such as conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors can help explain why individuals respond in certain ways in specific social contexts. Agreement refers to the tendency for individuals to conform to group norms or expectations.

In the case of the social media scenario, those followers who made derogatory comments were likely influenced by others who shared similar views or beliefs. Obedience refers to following the commands or orders of an authority figure or person with perceived higher status.

This concept can be applied to explain why some individuals may not have responded to the post at all because they did not feel like they had authority or influence over the situation. Helping behaviors refer to actions that benefit others without expecting a personal gain.

The larger group of followers who provided support and offered crisis helpline numbers demonstrated this behavior. One recommendation for reducing derogatory comments or increasing supportive comments in similar situations is creating awareness campaigns that educate people about these behaviors.

These campaigns could highlight examples like this scenario while highlighting positive reactions and educating on negative ones, pointing out how harmful words can be to vulnerable people online; it should also emphasize empathy towards victims as a critical aspect when responding in difficult situations like this. Understanding how environmental and social context influences behavior is essential when analyzing cases like this on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok.

By applying relevant theories such as conformity, obedience, and helping behaviors from social psychology research, we can better comprehend what factors influence our actions in specific contexts. Hopefully, by studying these concepts deeper, we will eventually be able to create online spaces where empathy prevails over derogatory comments.