What is social influence and relatedness in gamification?
In short
Social influence and relatedness is a core drive in Yu-kai Chou's Octalysis framework. It covers everything that motivates people through other people: belonging, competition, cooperation, approval and comparison. Users act because of what friends, peers or a group are doing, saying or expecting.
Why it matters for apps
People rarely use an app in isolation. Seeing others take part makes an activity feel normal and worth doing, and being part of a group adds a reason to return.
- Belonging: Teams, clubs and communities give users a group to show up for. This links to relatedness in Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory.
- Comparison: Leaderboards and shared results let users measure themselves against peers.
- Cooperation: Shared goals make users accountable to each other, not only to themselves.
- Common mistake: Showing users only the top of a global ranking. Most people cannot compete there and stop trying. Compare people with peers of similar level instead.
Social features also need moderation and privacy controls. Users should choose what they share.
Industry examples
Strava shows friends' activities in a feed where people give kudos and comment, and segment leaderboards compare efforts on the same stretch of road.
Duolingo leagues group learners with others at a similar stage each week, so learners compete with peers rather than the whole user base.
Build it with StriveCloud
StriveCloud offers teams, communities, a social feed and live chat. Leaderboards can be scoped per segment and period, so users compete with peers, and team challenges set a shared goal. Polls and man of the match voting let users react to what others think.
Want to try this? See the Strava playbook
Frequently asked questions
What is social influence and relatedness in Octalysis?
It is one of Yu-kai Chou's eight core drives. It covers motivation that comes from other people, such as belonging, competition, cooperation and social approval.
What are examples of social features in apps?
Common examples are activity feeds, kudos or likes, leaderboards, teams, group challenges, chat and sharing results. Each gives users a reason to act because others are involved.
How is relatedness different from competition?
Relatedness is the need to feel connected to others. Competition is one way to create social motivation, but cooperation and belonging also satisfy relatedness, often for more users.