Opinion Leaders: The New Media?
As technology changes, the way we gather information does as well. This is strongly reflected if we look within the changes of generations. On one end, my parents are used to watching the 6:00pm news every evening. I, on the other hand, don’t remember the last time I even sat down to watch T.V. With devices accessible at our fingertips, I’ve strongly relied on the internet and social media to keep myself updated on news and current events.
The Two-Step Flow Theory is a theory that emphasizes the role of the middle-man in the way information is presented to the public from the media. This theory explains that opinion leaders serve as messengers and pick and choose what information gets shared to the general public based on their beliefs and what they find important and relevant. As I began to learn more about this theory, it really left me questioning where I personally stand. Where do I get my information from? Do I simply follow what others share or do I serve the role of an opinion leader?
I’ve heavily relied on Twitter to update myself with news and current events. Twitter has now facilitated the way in which individuals quickly get information in real time. We don’t have to wait for something to air, as soon as it’s posted, we know about it. With its new tabs on the explore page, we now have the option of getting information on COVID-19, trending topics, general news, sports, and entertainment. However, when having social media as your main source for gathering information, one doesn’t realize that a lot of the information on Twitter is often shared by opinion leaders. This is where I’ve come to conclude that I, myself, follow these opinion leaders more than I do going out of my way to seek information directly from the media.
Jimmy Fallon has been one of the main opinion leaders that I’ve been following for quite some time now. Not only from his late night T.V. show, but directly from Twitter. In fact, I haven’t seen his show in its entirety in a very long time. I’ve usually gathered information from the clips of his show that he’s tweeted out. One of his most popular segments is News Smash, where he sheds light on about 4-5 current event topics and informs his viewers about them. This is a clear representation on how the Two-Step Flow Theory is relevant in the way I obtain information.
Social media also has a wide variety of social media influencers that definitely influence the way products get marketed to the general public. For example, PICA PICA, an online Mexican candy store that has converted American candies and dipped them in chili has used social media influencers to promote their online store. After seeing so many of the social media influencers (YouTubers, vloggers, makeup artists, etc.) on my feed about this product, I caved in and bought their candies. Was the purchase worth it? I would say so myself. Where else would I find chili dipped skittles?
When looking at the way in which information is presented to the public from a microscopic point of view, one can analyze how one’s been getting their information. It is safe to say that though not everyone gathers information directly from opinion leaders, they’ve definitely come to play a major influence. Opinion leaders have served as a form of credibility for the information the media presents. We assume that if a specific opinion leader shares that information, it automatically validates that news. It will definitely be interesting to see how opinion leaders develop over time and whether they will have the same influence in the future as they do now.
