Persuasive computing: Feeling peer pressure from multiple computer agents

Past works on the human-computer relationship has investigated a) how computers can mediate the communication between people and b) how computer users perceive computers as social entities. However, little research has investigated how the two fields of research inform, challenge, and integrate with each other. By combining the Computers are Social Actors paradigm and the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects, the present work provides an entry point into the conversation between these two fields. Specifically, this study examines how individuals may form group relations with computer agents. An experiment using a between-subject factorial design was conducted to explore the relationship between the two theoretical frameworks. The findings suggested that sharing the same color cues with multiple computer agents would lead to users' group identification with computer agents. Group identification with computer agents would further influence group conformity, conformity intention, group attraction, and group trustworthiness. However, the degree of compliance with and trust in computer agents was contingent on how much users felt as if these agents had been real humans.