Users who continually find value in a product are more likely to tell their friends about it.
Nir EyalWhen designers intentionally trick users into inviting friends or blasting a message to their social networks, they may see some initial growth, but it comes at the expense of users' goodwill and trust. When people discover they've been duped, they vent their frustration and stop using the product.
Nir EyalIf users are not doing what the designer intended (when users are investing time, effort, etc in your product), the designer may be asking them to do too much.
Nir Eyal