Informational Power
The Basic Idea
How did the game of “Truth or Dare” become a classic go-to party game? The game simply asks the participant to choose between truthfully answering a question or following a command which typically requires them to carry out an embarrassing action.
A significant portion of appeal associated with the game is witnessing the lengths to which a person may go to avoid answering a question truthfully.Though the game is generally played in good fun, it underlines an important concept of the value of information. Having informational power provides access to information that gives you the ability to influence or evoke a certain behavior within another individual.
The use of informational power is not limited to sinister causes such as threatening to share a friend’s embarrassing story, rather, it is the use of any sort of information or knowledge to influence a desired behavior within a person of interest.1
Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.
– Robin Morgan, American poet
About the Author
Omer Syed
Omer was a former content creator with a passion for behavioral science. He previously created content for The Decision Lab, and his insights continue to be valuable to our readers.
