The Science of Hit Songs

One of the arguments this article makes about how people are driven to read books or listen to certain music based on what their friends are listening to or reading. Matthew Salganik, sociologist at Columbia University, argued "a desire for compatibility with others could drive the choice" of music and reading "since much of the pleasure from listening to music and reading books stems from discussing them with friends." Salganik does bring up a valid point. Some people would be influenced to listen to a song or read a book because they want something in common with a friend. However, those people would definitely need to be at least somewhat predisposed to wanting to read that book or listen to that music. They have to, at the very least, have a small desire to try to read or listen. People are not going to do something they are not receptive to; therefore, people will need to have their own motivation outside of simply talking about it with friends. People will need than just the prospect of a short lived conversation to make then take up a venture like that. Plus even if they do try it and find themselves not liking what their friend is showing them, eventually they will stop listening to the suggested music or reading those suggested books. It will all come back to how much does that person really want to try those new things. Instead of how much there friends want them to try that new song they love or that brand new bestseller.