Information social influence is changing behavior by believing in what the other person tells you, as evident in Emma’s scenario. It seemed that the man in uniform was telling truth. The man in uniform seemed to believe it, and she acted accordingly. Emma was encouraged by her parents to comply with orders. Following instructions is the key. Victims feel powerless in tight circumstances. Emma was told by the uniformed men to immediately leave and open her doors. Consequently, she did precisely that to demonstrate obedience to the perceived “authority” because the informer appeared to be a staff or security personnel, even though he was deceitful.
Emma was required to tell the truth, and she had to accept the compliance order. Complicity occurs when someone makes you submit to an explicit or implicit command. Emma followed the commands of the man and honored his requests. Influencers may use threats or coercion. (Ciurria (2018) Emma was tricked by an uniformed male who recommended that she help in an emergency. Emma realized her danger, and that her life was at risk. Therefore, she thought it wise to comply with the hotel’s precautionary measures, especially immediate evacuation. She ran and opened the door.
Emma succumbed to social pressures and informational communication because she was a conformist. A conformist is someone who agrees with another group’s beliefs and behaviours. If there is danger, conformity may lead to vulnerability or an increase in social power (Ciurria (2018)). Emma believed everyone followed her, no matter if he was an employee at the hotel. Emma was not interested in being the “odd man out”, no matter the status of the official. It was too much for Emma so she refused to go. Emma fell for conformity and lost all of her possessions.