An application of information cascading is groupthink.  Cohesive groups promote a series of ideas and socially ostracize those with opposing viewpoints.  Other members lose incentive to hold opposing views as this can lead to embarrassments if they are seen as foolish or against the group in some way.  Irving Janus classifies eight symptoms of groupthink:

•   illusions of invulnerability
• rationalizing warnings that challenge group assumptions
• unquestioned belief in the morality of the group, stereotyping those who oppose the group
• direct pressure to conform
• self censorship
• illusions of unanimity
• members who shield the group from dissenting information. 

 Classic examples do include the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Challenger crisis.  These turned out to be disasters in US policy and yet opposition was generally suppressed here.  Also the current day invasion of Iraq has some influences of Groupthink.  From this, it can be discerned that many historical movements such as Nazism, Facism and so forth gain their strength through aspects of groupthink.  Psychologists have offered solutions to vaccinate onself against groupthink: http://www.psysr.org/groupthinkwelcome.htm  Janus offers the following solutions: 

• leaders should make each group member to freely express objections and doubts
• higher ranked members should not express opinions when assigning tasks
• several independent groups should be set up by the same organization
• alternatives should be discussed, each members should discuss group ideas with trusted people
• outside experts should be brought into meetings
• one member should be a Devil’s advocate. 

Another video offers a safeguard against Groupthink:  http://www.crmlearning.com/groupthink-2nd-editionA further study of this can explain issues as far as adolescent peer pressure and perhaps “politician” peer pressure.  Perhaps better decisions can be made with a better study of Groupthink.   An article here (http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/8836) gives groupthink another name- collective intelligence showing that “We are smarter than me”.  However while collective intelligence can give a greater generation of ideas it falls into a danger of being run by a small group.  Several current-day and historical examples point to this.  http://www.psysr.org/groupthinkwelcome.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink