Lecture 8: individual level social media interventions

Question 1

definition opinion leader

Answer 1

influential members of a community, group or society to whom others turn for advice, opinions and views

Question 2

two-step model of communication

Answer 2

• opinion leaders are considered to be more influential than the media
  message —-> opinion leaders —> “normal” people

Question 3

definition influencer

Answer 3

a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media

Question 4

difference opinion leaders and influencers

Answer 4

opinion leaders:

• old media
• political communication
• sharing knowledge, influencing opinions

influencers:

• new media
• more about entertainment
• …

Question 5

self-branding as a lens

Answer 5

• individuals having a unique selling point

- their public identity, that is singularly charismatic and responsive to the needs/interests of a target audience

Question 6

Leadership characteristics

Answer 6

1. values (matching those of their community)
2. professional competence (have skills or knowledge others lack)
3. social network (having more acces to more parts)

Question 7

Social media and the rise of self-branding

Answer 7

1. social media promises fame and wealth to ordinary users and therefore encourages practices of micro-celebrity
2. within a political culture of neoliberal individualism, self-branding is encouraged with the promise of rewards
3. the commercial viability of some social media influencers has proven to be inspirational and seemingly replicable

Question 8

the potential of influencers

Answer 8

1. influencers have been studied mostly in terms of commercial performance, can they influence audiences’ purchase intention?
2. attention is growing toward targeting influencers as a way to affect the behavior of audiences would it work? (research says it does)