(This is an archived page, from the Patterns of Power Edition 3 book. Current versions are at book contents).
People can try to influence each other’s beliefs on a peer-to-peer basis. They might be seeking to exert personal power over the other person, for the satisfaction of dominating them, or they might try to recruit them into a social group – such as a religious organisation which can add a different kind of authority to moral arguments, as described below (4.3.3.3).
Peer-to-peer influence can be exerted by using the techniques of authority and persuasion described earlier (4.3.1). People can do this by talking face to face or by disseminating their views through the media. As the power of communications increases, particularly with the Internet, it is possible to extend the reach of such attempts to influence (though people can choose whether or not to receive most media).