The book "actionable gamification" talks about different sources of "core motivation". The author gives 8 typical sources, of which "social reinforcement" iirc, is one. (I found them all quite poorly named).

In any case, they provide a lens on building productive and rewarding systems. One observation is that these "extrinsic" motivators, alone, leave people unhappy (but engaged, until they arent).

What we appear to have here is a "social proof addiction trap", in the manner in which gambling is a "curiosity addiction trap".