Influence Index Evolution and Empirical Study of Opinion Leaders in Chinese Social Networks

Cheng Zhang 한국정보처리학회 2025 Journal of information processing systems Vol.21 No.1

An influence drift index (IDI) and an influence stability index (ISI) of opinion leader nodes are proposed tocapture the dynamic growth trajectory of opinion leaders in the process of public opinion evolution. Themultidimensional features of user nodes are extracted to construct the influence index, and the change amplitudeof the influence index in the time dimension is quantified, and this forms the basis for an influence index onlineevolution (INFOE) method. In this method, opinion leaders’ influence is regarded as the feature vector ofdynamic change. The IDI for the opinion leader-audience layer is established from the three dimensions ofcontribution degree, recognition degree and dissemination degree of opinion leaders. Second, fuzzy formalconcept analysis is used to establish the formal concept of opinion leaders and its poset to construct an ISI forthe opinion leader-audience layer. Finally, the fluctuation degree of the influence index of opinion leaders inthe evolution of public opinion content is quantified to realize the online evolution of this index. INFOE isverified and analyzed in this case. The empirical results show that the IDI reveals a certain correlation betweenthe influence index of opinion leaders and the heat of public opinion in the process of event evolution, whichcan be used to monitor the time node of public opinion outbreaks accurately. The ISI reflects the fuzzydependence of the influence index among opinion leader nodes, which provides a new theoretical explorationand research perspective for the multi-angle subdivision of opinion leaders.

인명사전 표집을 통한 한국사회 의견지도자의 특성과 유형화

김지희(Jihee Kim) 강원대학교 사회과학연구원 2021 사회과학연구 Vol.60 No.3

현대 한국사회에서 많은 사람들에게 영향력을 끼치는 의견지도자는 어떤 사람일까? 그동안 언론학 연구자들은 우리 사회에 존재하는 의견지도자를 규명하기 위해 의견지도자가 가진 대인적 영향력에 주목했는데, 매체의 발달에 따라 대인적 영향력은 오프라인 뿐 아니라 온라인 공간의 커뮤니케이션 과정에서도 중요해졌다. 이 연구는 한국사회의 의견지도자 목록을 작성함으로써 향후 의견지도자에 관한 실증적 연구에 활용하고자 한다. 이에 공신력있고 구체적인 인물 데이터베이스를 선정하여 의견지도자 표본을 만들었다. 유서깊은 신문사에서 발간한 연합뉴스 인물사전과 다음(Daum) 인명사전, 위키피디아 인물백과를 통해 2,455명의 의견지도자 집단을 표집하였으며, 인물은 전통엘리트 유형과 매체유명인으로 유형화할 수 있었다. 그런데 연합뉴스 인물사전과 위키피디아 인명사전에 모두 게재된 집단을 발견하고 매체활동형 리더라고 명명하였다. 기술통계를 통하여 세 유형의 의견지도자들이 어떤 특성을 가졌는지 파악한 결과 우리나라 의견지도자는 대체로 50대 초반, 남성, 명문대 출신이 많은 것으로 나타났으며, 전통엘리트, 매체유명인, 매체활동형 리더 그룹 간에는 차이가 있음을 발견하였다. 향후 우리나라의 의견지도자 집단을 파악하는 주기적인 조사를 수행한다면 이 연구에서 표집한 의견지도자 자료가 한국사회의 영향력있는 인물집단의 경향성을 파악하는 유용한 자료가 될 것이다. Who is the opinion leader who influences many people in the contemporary Korean society? To identify the opinion leaders in our society, we reviewed the two-step flow of communication theory on opinion leaders, fromby Katz and Razarsfeld, and also reviewed the results of social scientists and journalistic researchers exploring the interpersonal influence of opinion leaders. In order to identify opinion leaders, a sample of opinion leaders was made through a credible and specific database of persons, and the characteristics of each type of opinion leaders were explored by categorizing them according to their sources. As a result of the study, a group of 2,455 opinion leaders were sampled through Yonhap News" People"s Dictionary, Daum"s People"s Dictionary, and Wikipedia"s People Encyclopedia, and they could be divided into three type: traditional elites, media celebrities, and media communicative leaders. Opinion leaders generally found that in their 50s, there were many males and graduates from prestigious universities, and there were unique characteristics and differences depending on type. If a periodic survey to identify opinion leaders in the future is conducted, it will be useful and precious data to understand the tendency of opinion leaders in Korea. The data of 2,455 opinion leaders sampled in this study can be the first data to study the group of opinion leaders in Korean society.

온라인 커뮤니티 속 오피니언 리더 집단 검증

최윤정(Yun Jung Choi) 한국언론학회 2009 한국언론학보 Vol.53 No.4

This study compared opinion leaders of online communities with non-opinion leaders in terms of their motivation for joining online communities, level of online participation, and online relationship formation. Based on an online survey of 206 people living in four cities of New York State, this study employed a cluster analysis to distinguish opinion leaders from non opinion leaders. The study found that online leaders do exist within online communities. Opinion leaders showed higher motivations for joining communities, higher levels of community participation, and formed online relationships more frequently than non-opinion leaders. Additionally, an SEM was conducted to look at the relationships among motivation for online community participation, levels of participation and relationship formation for opinion leader and non-opinion leader groups. The SEM shows that opinion leaders joined communities for entertainment and social relationship purposes, while non-opinion leaders joined communities primarily for information seeking. This implies that opinion leaders are joining online communities to discuss their ideas and form social relations, whereas non-opinion leaders are joining online communities to seek information.

准社会关系视域下意见领袖特性对汉服消费者购买意愿的影响研究

노복동,하문문 중국학연구회 2024 중국학연구 Vol.- No.107

Hanfu, broadly referring to the clothing of the Han ethnic group formed before the Ming Dynasty, has been an integral part of the natural cultural development and ethnic integration in China. With the gradual integration of Hanfu culture into mainstream culture, the Hanfu industry is experiencing rapid development. However, the challenges in expanding the market size indicate a lack of consumer theories within the Hanfu industry, which have failed to effectively guide the demands of Hanfu consumers. As a distinctive form of attire, Hanfu symbolizes the historical and cultural identity of the Chinese nation. Consumers of Hanfu exhibit a strong sense of identification with Hanfu culture, and their purchasing intentions are easily influenced by key opinion leaders within the Hanfu cultural circle. This study, with the characteristics of key opinion leaders as independent variables, parasocial relationships as mediating variables, and considering prior knowledge and wishful identification as moderating variables, explores the influencing mechanism of Hanfu consumers’ purchasing intentions. The research results indicate that the parasocial relationships formed between consumers and key opinion leaders significantly impact purchasing intentions, and the higher the degree of consumer wishful identification with key opinion leaders, the greater the influence. Furthermore, the authenticity of key opinion leaders positively supports the formation of parasocial relationships, and the level of consumer knowledge about Hanfu culture also positively moderates the relationship between key opinion leader characteristics and parasocial relationships. Based on these research findings, this paper proposes a two-step marketing strategy. Firstly, positioning based on the authenticity of key opinion leaders to establish parasocial relationships between key opinion leaders and consumers. Secondly, enhancing consumers’ wishful identification with key opinion leaders. Additionally, the results of this study offer valuable insights for foreign cultural enterprises, particularly those from South Korea, in formulating strategies for entering the Chinese market.

온라인 패션 커뮤니티에서 회원들 간의 구매정보 교환과정에 관한 연구

윤여록 ( Yeo Rok Yoon ),황상재 ( Sang Jae Hwang ) 한국커뮤니케이션학회 2010 커뮤니케이션학연구 Vol.18 No.3

This study analyzed the communication styles of opinion leaders that expressed their opinions actively at online communities and effective delivery methods in the process of exchanging opinions and information. The previous studies on online communities, online opinion leaders, communication styles, and word-of-mouth communication were reviewed to prepare for theoretical grounds for the study`s goals and to set the following research questions: <Research Question 1> What are the communication styles of opinion leaders in online communities?; <Research Question 2> What kind of impact do the online opinion leaders` information postings have on the recipients` choice of information?; and <Research Question 3> What is the word-of-mouth effect in information choice according to the communication styles of online opinion leaders? Analyzed in the study were the bulletin board of an online community that dealt with information about fashion products and its members. They shared information of such topics as comments after shopping, questions and answers about products, questions and answers about how to coordinate the current belongings, product photos and exchange of personal opinions about products. Based on the previous studies, nine opinion leaders were selected, and their communication styles were analyzed. As a result, they were categorized into three styles: the <objective style> tried to provide more detailed information and thus secure informational professionalism than general postings; the <subjective style> tried to form information consensus with others by providing information about products and concerned information; and the <visual style> provided information directly with their own belongings and photos of wearing them instead of contents. The general users were satisfied with the community participation with active information acquirement and sharing based on the ability to search information smoothly in the aspect of intention. In the aspect of perception, they noticed the postings of certain writers with information power. In the aspect of attitude, they were likely to develop new purchase intention by checking and reinforcing the information they already had through the postings with opinion leadership. Finally in the aspect of action, they looked for certain writers when trying to form an image of a product, recommend related information to others, or mimicking a certain communication style when writing a posting and researching for information for later. They exhibited information familiarity with the postings whose style was similar to their own communication style and thought those postings had higher information delivery power and reliability. The members that preferred the <objective style> thought the information completion level was high and there was professionalism. Meanwhile, those who had information familiarity through consensus preferred the <subjective style>. And they thought the information delivery power was high with the <visual style> that offered information as it was through photos attached. According to the analysis results, it is apparent that the <objective>, <subjective> and <visual> communication styles of the opinion leaders in the online fashion community were related to the individual communication tendencies of the information recipients and had influences on the reinforcement of the old information and the acceptance process of new information. There should be strategic organizations through the combinations and emphases of communication styles proper for the contents and situations of information to be effectively delivered.

효과적인 정보 확산을 위한 미디어 이용 패턴 분석

김명규(Myeong Gyu Kim),이창준(Chang Jun Lee),홍아름(Ah Reum Hong) 한국정보사회학회 2016 정보사회와 미디어 Vol.17 No.1

본 연구는 미디어의 본질인 ‘정보 전달’의 측면에서 효과적인 정보 확산 방법에 대한 연구이다. 특별히 미디어가 직접 이용자에게 정보를 전달하는 것보다 의견지도자라는 매개체를 통해 정보를 전달하는 것이 더 효과적이라는 2단계 유통이론을 기반으로, 미디어의 환경 변화를 반영한 온라인 의견지도력 측정 변수를 정립하여, 온라인 의견지도자를 식별하고 그들의 미디어 이용 패턴을 분석하였다. 요인분석을 이용하여 기존 연구를 바탕으로 새롭게 정의한 온라인 의견지도력 측정 변수를 정립하고, CART 분류 분석을 이용하여 온라인 의견지도력 중 유사한 미디어 이용 패턴을 보이는 자들을 집단화(clustering)하였으며, 미디어 레퍼토리를 유형화하여 미디어 이용 패턴을 분석하였다. 또한, 온라인 의견지도자의 내적, 외적 특성을 통해 기존 의견지도자와의 구분을 시도함으로써 온라인 의견지도자 그룹의 미디어레퍼토리 유형 형태의 차이점이 존재함을 밝혀냈다. 더 나아가, 온라인 의견지도자와 비의견지도자 그룹 간의 미디어 이용 형태를 미디어-시간, 콘텐츠-시간에 따라 분석하였으며, 마지막으로 미디어-콘텐츠-시간 3범주기준을 제시하고 온라인 의견지도자의 미디어 이용 형태를 분석하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 통해 정보 확산 매개체인 의견지도자들의 미디어 이용 패턴 분석을 통해 효과적인 정보 확산을 위한 함의를 제공하고 정보 공급자들에게 효과적인 정보 확산을 위한 미디어 레퍼토리 기반의 미디어 전략을 제안한다. This paper aims to analyze media utilization pattern of the online opinion leader who has an effect in information diffusion. There is a study ‘the two-step flow of communication theory’ about the effect of media related to information diffusion. This study says information delivery through opinion leader is more effective than direct delivery to user. In this perspective, opinion leader can be important medium to effective information diffusion. This paper focuses on 2 main ideas. One is to discern online opinion leader with online opinion leadership’s measuring variables reflected media environment change. The other is to analyze media utilization pattern of the online opinion leader. ‘2013 and 2012 Korea Media Panel Survey’ from KISDI(Korea Information Society Development Institute) is well-fitted data for this study. This data offer personality, media and contents use based on situation variables like ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘what’. Using KISDI data, the new measuring variables for online opinion leadership are constructed by the factor analysis. The CART algorithm which is one of the classification tools in data-mining is used to classify online opinion leader group has similar media utilization pattern(media repertoires) based on calculated opinion leadership of sample. Then this paper analyzes online opinion leader group’s media use based on media-content-time. Through this analysis, we can investigate the media repertoires of online opinion leader and detailed media utilization pattern based on 3 categories. Using the results, we can take implications to information provider like companies and government for effective information diffusion strategy. Especially for companies, this paper can give implications for media and content strategy in product and service marketing.

패션리더에 대한 재고 - 팔로워로서의 대학생 관점 -

박경애 ( Kyungae Park ) 복식문화학회 2018 복식문화연구 Vol.26 No.5

As social media has become a part of daily life, new types of online opinion leaders are emerging, and in turn, changes in traditional fashion leaders and leadership are expected. Considering such changes, this study attempted to reexamine fashion leader types and influence characteristics from the perspective of college students as fashion followers. Students were asked to write an essay identifying their fashion leader and how and why they were influenced by him or her. Sixty essays entitled “My Fashion Leader” were collected and content-analyzed. A total of 78 fashion leaders were identified and categorized into four types including celebrities, social media influencers, friends/family/acquaintances, and people seen on the street in order of frequency. Influence characteristics of the identified fashion leaders included superiority, role model, similarity, and familiarity. Similarity was observed across all types of fashion leaders, while superiority and familiarity were identified for celebrities and friends/family/acquaintances, respectively. The results imply that celebrities, mostly those from the TV, movie, and music industries, are still important as fashion leaders in society regardless of their communication style, while friends/ family/acquaintances as opinion leaders within a consumer group are important to provide information, advice, and help. However, social media influencers between the two groups are expanding the influence.

시사 분야 의견지도자 성향 연구

김세은(Sae-Eun Kim) 한국언론학회 2006 한국언론학보 Vol.50 No.1

I argue that Opinion leader is an essential concept for a democratic society especially with its role for the procedure of forming public opinion and that, suprisingly, the term 'opinion leader', suggested early in the 1940s in the US, has been frequently used in Korean society with few empirical researches or concrete investigations. As a starting point to discuss its importance for democracy these days, this study aims to explore the answers to the following questions: what are the socio-demographical characteristics of opinion leaders in our society?; and what are the characteristics of their media use? Many researchers such as Katz and Weimann claimed that the concept of opinion leader be constituted with multi-dimensional factors including external elements, personality, network location and communication activity. However, this study focuses on and measured the self-estimated opinion leadership level and divided the respondents into three groups according to the points -strong, medium and weak. The results show that the self-estimated opinion leadership level has a significant relationship with some socio-demographical variables such as educational level, age, sex and political inclination. In terms of media use, it has a significant relationship only with the use of newspaper. Those with strong opinion leadership level prefer newspaper to other media such as television or the internet, select news items according to the issue or reporter, involve deeply in their reading and use the contents actively in their everyday lives. This study suggests that newspaper plays an important role as a mediator between opinion leaders and their information-related behaviours.

매체 환경의 변화에 따른 의견지도자(Opinion Leader) 연구 : 1990~2019년 연구에 대한 메타분석

김지희 ( Kim Jihee ) 한국지역언론학회 2021 언론과학연구 Vol.21 No.1

In communication studies, the concept of opinion leaders or opinion leadership became the subject of academic interest along with the growth of mass media in the mid-20th century. In particular, Katz and Lazarsfeld focused on the media influence, noting that there were people who shape public opinion. After that, we have observed the appearance of various opinion leaders. However, opinion leaders has been changed over time, from radio in the early 20th century, television in the second half of the century, and internet forums and various social media since the 2000s. This means that how opinion leaders communicate and how the public recognize and evaluate them have shifted along with the development of new media. Therefore I need to understand persuasive communication by reviewing opinion leaders' research trends.

누가 인터넷 토론에서 영향력을 행사하는가?

이준웅(June Woong Rhe),김은미(Eun-mee Kim),김현석(Hyun Suk Kim) 한국언론학회 2007 한국언론학보 Vol.51 No.3

What are socio-political and individual characteristics of online opinion leaders? Will the argument quality and manner of the messages that online opinion leaders write differ from those of other online discussants? In order to answer the questions, this study first identified online opinion leaders in terms of those whose opinions receive popular attentions and positive reactions from other online discussants in a portal-based discussion plaza. A sample of 6,542 online discussants was classified into four groups: online opinion leaders; attention gatherers; quiet persuaders; and the remaining general discussants. It was found that the online opinion leaders were educated, communicatively competent, politically knowledgeable and participatory as compared to other groups. They wrote higher quality but lower mannered messages than online general public did. The findings of this study were discussed in terms of the applicability and validity of the concept of opinion leadership in the Internet environment.