Social Influencers aka Opinion Leaders

Even though the two-step flow of information theory was created in the 1940s, it still applies today to modern media such as social media. Back then, it was radio, television, and newspapers that were the main source of media and now it is mostly our cellular phones. In the past, the main opinion leaders were talk show hosts, news anchors, and radio personalities. Some of these leaders are still very effective today, but I feel the main opinion leader currently is social media influencers. These are people who have a large following on platforms and who are considered gold to companies for consumer marketing. The reason they have become opinion leaders is because of how much influence they have on their audiences. These influencers develop a connection with their followers by showing them their lives and giving them advice on how to live theirs. The social influencer has become credible to its audience due to the connection they have built.

Here’s an example of a social media influencer who is an opinion leaders to many on social media. Her name is Tabitha Brown, and she is an actress in her forty’s that gained attraction on TikTok with approximately 2 million followers. How did she do it? Well, she shares quick, creative vegan recipes while also saying motivating words to her followers which she likes to call “nuggets of wisdom”. A time that Brown influenced her audience was when she recorded a video via Facebook raving about a vegan sandwich she received from Whole Foods. The video became viral and everyone began to record themselves reacting to the sandwich as well. This buzz caused the company Whole Foods to reach out to Brown and name her a brand ambassador.

As you can see, the two-step flow of information theory still applies to society today. For me, I feel that I am most definitely an information follower who loves to watch influencers aka opinion leaders pass on the information to me.