Answer:

• Social influence describes how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors respond to our social world, including our tendencies to conform to others, follow social rules, and obey authority figures. Social influence takes two basic forms i.e. implicit expectations and explicit expectations.
• Implicit expectations are unspoken rules. For example, dressing differently at formal religious events compared to attending a rock concert. Most people voluntarily conform to these unwritten rules because they imitate the behaviour of others or they have some expectations from society to act like that.
• Social influences can be explicit as well i.e., when expectations are clearly and formally stated. For instance, giving up the seat to a woman or elderly in a metro train complying with the written rules or obeying to do homework as it can attract social punishment in the school.

It has been observed that social influence can be a source of good, bad and even evil. For instance:

• Source of Good: When children respect their elders by imitating good conduct of their parents and other members of their family. Similarly, several social influences help a person achieve bigger things in life, simply because they carry the expectations of their society or nation. Such influences are good. For example, Good Samaritan Law would positively influence people to help others.
• Source of Bad: Social influence can be a source of bad things as well. For instance, over- exposure to social media can lead to unhealthy changes in a person like creating material desires, changing traditional values, or influencing a person to become biased because of existing negativity in them. Similarly, many times peer pressure leads to involvement of a person in unhealthy habits like smoking, alcoholism or substance abuse. Domestic violence against women and stereotyping of their roles is also a result of social influence only.
• Source of Evil: The holocaust is a glaring example of how social influence can become the source of evil. A large section of the population supported the extreme Nazi policies and oppressed their fellow citizens because of cultural, ethnic and racial differences. For instance, the radicalisation of youth and their migration to war zones to join terror groups or become an ISIS bride is also a part of social influence that can create evil for the society.

Hence, social influence is an ambivalent concept, and can become a source of good, bad or evil.