Today's logical fallacy is the Bandwagon fallacy. It's the idea that something must be valid, true, or worth doing because "everyone else is doing it." Popularity becomes a substitute for logic, evidence, or critical thinking.

You see this in all kinds of places. Fad diets are a perfect example. It seems like every six months there's a new miracle plan that "everyone" is doing. Low fat. Low carb. No carb. Grapefruit. Juice cleanses. Keto. Paleo. Carnivore. The list goes on. People jump on board, not because they've evaluated the research or know it works for them, but because their cousin lost 10 pounds and it's trending on TikTok.

In business, it's the same deal. I've seen companies ditch perfectly functional systems because of peer pressure, plain and simple. One of the most common lines I hear is, "Well, over 500,000 companies have already switched to [insert bloated cloud-based CRM platform here], so it must be the right move." Never mind that their existing Microsoft Access database has been running smoothly for a decade, perfectly tailored to their needs, paid for, and under their control. Nope. Gotta follow the herd.

I've lost count of how many students have told me, "Our company decided to move away from Access and migrate to [new system] because that's what everyone else is doing." Fast forward six months, and some of them come back saying, "Yeah... we regret that. The new system is overcomplicated, expensive, and half as flexible." Popularity is not a guarantee of quality.

The fallacy shows up in hiring decisions, tech stacks, marketing strategies, and software migrations. Just because a thing is common doesn't mean it's good. In fact, sometimes it's popular precisely because people are copying each other without thinking.

Speaking of "tech stacks," another one of the ways you see bandwagon mentality is stupid corporate jargon. Everyone in your industry starts saying things like "synergy" and "pivot" and "scaling our tech stack," so your team starts doing it too - not because you fully understand what it means or how it applies to your business, but because everyone else is saying it. It becomes business theater. Buzzwords take the place of actual strategy, and before you know it, you're mimicking the crowd instead of making decisions based on what's right for your company.

This fallacy shows up in pop culture all the time. You might start watching a show not because you like it, but because everyone else in the office is talking about it. You get a few episodes in and think, "Wow, this is terrible," but you keep watching just to be part of the conversation.

I've done the same thing with sports. I've never been a huge sports guy - I love going to live games and I played baseball and softball for the first 45 years of my life. Love the game. But back when I played in bar-league softball, I'd hang out with the guys afterward. They'd be talking about how this wide receiver did this and that quarterback just signed whatever deal... and I didn't have a clue. So I started watching SportsCenter just so I could follow the highlights and not be completely lost. That's the bandwagon effect too. It wasn't about genuine interest. It was about not wanting to be left out. Because honestly, I enjoy watching sports, but I don't understand the obsession so many people have with it.

And of course, my buddies would always complain about the classic bandwagon fan*1. They couldn't name a single player three months ago, but now their team's in the playoffs and suddenly they're the world's biggest fan. Got the jersey. Watching every game. Screaming at the TV like they've been doing it for years. Why? Because everyone else is doing it. It's not about loyalty or love of the game - it's about not wanting to be left out when something gets popular. That's bandwagon thinking in its purest form.

You see this kind of thing in politics all the time. Your parents vote a certain way. Your friends and neighbors are all voting that way. So you figure, well, I guess that candidate must be the right one, and you cast your vote without ever researching the issues or what that person actually stands for. My grandmother was guilty of this. She would always vote for whoever the rest of the family was voting for. No questions asked. That's a textbook example of the bandwagon effect.

One of the most common places you'll see the bandwagon fallacy is in investing. A hot stock or cryptocurrency*2 starts getting attention. Everyone's talking about it. It's all over the news, your friends are texting about it, and even your Uber driver is giving you tips. So you jump in-because clearly, if that many people are buying, it must be a smart move, right? Never mind whether the company has earnings, or the coin even has a real-world use. That's the fallacy. You're not investing based on facts or research. You're buying in because everyone else is. And just like with any bandwagon, eventually it slows down, tips over, or crashes completely.

You see this in education decisions all the time. A student says, "Well, I'm going to this college because my best friend is going there, and most of my classmates are going there too." It's understandable. Making new friends is hard, and nobody wants to feel isolated. But basing a major life decision like your education on where everyone else is going - without checking if the school is actually a good fit for you - is classic bandwagon thinking. Popularity doesn't always equal quality. Just because a school works for someone else doesn't mean it's the right choice for your goals, your learning style, or your future.

Fashion and luxury goods are textbook examples of the bandwagon fallacy. Ask yourself why someone would spend $5,000 on a purse. Sure, it might be well made, but let's be honest - it's mostly because it's trendy, and other people in their circle are carrying the same brand. The logic is: if all the wealthy or influential people are doing it, then it must be the right thing to do. That's not a rational decision based on value or need. That's just following the crowd. You see the same thing in cars, watches, sneakers, even water bottles. And it's not always about showing off - sometimes it's just fear of being the one person who looks "out of it."

You see the bandwagon effect every time a new social media platform takes over. First it was MySpace, then everyone jumped ship to Facebook*3. Then Instagram took off. And now it's TikTok. The pattern repeats. As soon as enough people start using the new thing, it becomes the place to be. Even if you were happy where you were, you feel pressure to move just because everyone else did. It's not about whether the platform is better. It's about not being left behind.

One of the best Star Trek examples of the bandwagon fallacy comes from the TNG episode The Game. The crew gets introduced to what looks like a harmless piece of entertainment - a little augmented reality headset that rewards you for dropping a virtual disc into a cone. Nothing fancy. But as more and more people start playing it, others feel pressured to join in. Everyone's doing it. Why not try it? Before long, almost the entire crew is hooked. It turns out the game is a form of mind control designed to take over the ship. No one questions it, because it's popular. That's the trap. Just because something is trending doesn't mean it's safe - or smart. Sometimes the herd runs straight off a cliff.

Here's the reality: doing what everyone else is doing might feel safe, but it's not the same as making the right call. What works for a massive corporation might be a terrible fit for a five-person office. And just because your competitor is throwing money at the latest trend doesn't mean you should too. If you're going to jump on a bandwagon, at least check where it's headed.

LLAP
RR

*1 - Not me. I'm not a bandwagon fan. I don't really care about any teams. I just tried to stay enough "in the know" to be involved in conversations. I did used to watch a lot of Yankees games when I was younger. Oh, and I try to keep abreast of what the Bills are doing because every time I meet someone down here in Florida or travelling and they find out I'm from Buffalo, the first thing I get is "oh, you must be a Bills fan?" No. Not really. But that's a conversation killer. So I talk about the time after their 4th Superb Owl loss, I took off my Jim Kelly jersey, tore it in half and said "I'm done with this team." And that's mostly true.

*2 - Hint: it's a scam. Mark my words.

*3 - Will someone please kill Facebook already?