The first thing that comes to mind in the two-step flow theory is the important role that opinion leaders play.
Opinion leaders bring mass media and audiences together, speeding up the integration and dissemination of information, extending the reach of the media and influencing or changing the attitudes of audiences.
The official media accounts, internet celebrities, etc. on social media are the famous opinion leaders who spread the information they have learned to those who follow them; at the same time, everyone around us, including ourselves, we are all opinion leaders and spread the information to our family and friends around us.
The current growth of major social media, young people as a large group of people who use smart phones and social media most frequently. Through the survey, it is found that in this era, young people pay attention to social media instead of paying attention to the news, and the news information obtained through social media is much more than directly paying attention to the news.
More proof of the importance of opinion leaders in social media.
China’s biggest online shopping festival of the year is coming up next month. A famous live-streaming bandwagon anchor should be mentioned here.
As China’s number one merchandise anchor, Li Jiaqi’s unique live streaming style and in-depth knowledge of beauty and other products has attracted a large number of fans on various platforms, and she can sell tens of billions of RMB worth of products at shopping festivals with live broadcasts watched by tens of millions of people.
Li Jiaqi has a huge fan base and therefore absolute influence in China’s online shopping sector, and will consider the selection of products from the audience’s point of view to show customers their correct values, fulfilling the basic requirements for him to become an important opinion leader.
Because of Li Jiaqi’s outstanding ability to bring goods, gradually people no longer enter the detailed page of the product to understand the purchase, but choose to enter his live room directly, according to his recommendation, the introduction of the product, so as to choose to buy.
Merchants provide product information to the live broadcast team, led by Li Jiaqi’s team, to try the product, understand the product’s function, integrate the information, and communicate the product’s conclusion to the audience during the live broadcast, Li Jiaqi and his team play an extremely important role as opinion leaders in the shopping process.
The theory of two step flow is well applied in this link, companies do not need to spend extra money to promote their products, people do not need to spend a lot of time and energy to click into the product details page to understand, and Li Jiaqi has become the most suitable opinion leader between the two.
I think there are many, many more such anecdotes, and if we look carefully, we will find that they are everywhere in our lives！
Reference：
Hogan, B. (2010) ‘Persistence and Change in Social Media’, Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(5), pp. 309–315.
Holton, A.E. (2015) ‘Reciprocity and the News: The Role of Personal and Social Media Reciprocity in News Creation and Consumption’, International journal of communication., 9, pp. 2526–2547.
The example you wrote enabled me to better understand what an opinion leader is. Most people form their opinions under the influence of opinion leaders who are simultaneously influenced by mass media. Li Jiaqi, as a top streaming internet celebrity, his public influence is also immense. As an opinion leader can’t just pursue profit and fame, every word he says affects the lives and choices of tens of millions of consumers.
Yes, some time ago, due to the improper form of his speech, he had a very bad impact. Some people lost trust in him, which proves that opinion leaders should always pay attention to the consequences of their words and deeds.