The two step flow theory mentioned in the course, in which opinion leaders are at the centre of the two step flow theory.
Changes in Opinion Leaders in the New Media Environment
The phenomenon of “two step flow theory” is still prevalent in the contemporary online environment, but with a new twist. Owing to the special attributes of online virtual communities, people form online groups through long-term communication and interaction, and a small number of active members among them influence the opinions, judgements and decisions of others and become the opinion leaders of the group.Ordinary users are often influenced by opinion leaders and socially influential users when they get their news through channels such as social media. These intermediaries selectively disseminate, comment on and interpret information, which may direct the average user’s attention to particular topics or sources. As a result, ordinary users’ access to information is filtered and guided by intermediaries, which has a direct impact on shaping the opinions of ordinary users. As a result of the selective dissemination of information by intermediaries, ordinary users may be subjected to information filtering during the information access process. They may miss out on certain important information or different viewpoints because this information is not disseminated by the intermediary.
Reflections and examples
The characteristics of opinion leaders in the new media environment are becoming more and more complex, and such changes bring some worries.For example, from the perspective of dichotomy, the cross-border speech of opinion leaders under the new media has to a certain extent dissolved the professionalism of their speech expression. Although public participation in society does not require a high level of professional knowledge, frequent cross-border actions have made it inevitable that common sense errors will occur in the speech expressions of online opinion leaders. In addition, although the public awareness of online opinion leaders has enabled them to gain a large number of followers, water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn a boat. If an online opinion leader makes a common-sense mistake or takes an inappropriate value stance, he or she may instantly go from being the centre of a crowd to the target of a group attack.
Reference list
Lazarsfeld, P. F., Berelson, B., & Gaudet, H. (1944). The people’s choice. Duell, Sloan & Pearce.
BeautyNEXT:https://www.beautynext.cn(Accessed:23 October 2023)
I like your blog very much. With the continuous development of we-media, more and more big Vs appear and have an impact on the thoughts of their groups. Therefore, from the perspective of marketing, identifying the KOL of the group and promoting it with its strength, and finally realizing traffic monetization should become the focus of marketing development in the era of we-media.