Research On The Influence Of The Network Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders, put forward by Lazarsfeld in two-level dissemination theory, is a classic concept in communication studies. It refers to people who actively provide information to people and give subjective judgment, and always issue information and exert influence on the accepters. They can be found in the social network of our life and in every group.Opinion leaders can also be found in network environment. Network opinion leaders are different from traditional opinion leaders due to the different environment. In the process of formation of network opinion, they have the function of setting up network agenda, and guiding network opinion and they can awaken the Spiral of Silence in network, performing the improtant function of leader. Network opinion leaders mainly exist in virtual communities, blogs and virtual groups which have their own characteristics and forms of function.Network opinion leaders form social hot topics by guiding network opinion, and draw the attention of traditional media to promote the commen solution of actual problems. On the other hand, they affect the social opinion by guiding network opinion and further the whole social cultural atmosphere. Apart from this, because they have strong persuasion in the social area such as consumption and fashion, they are used in ad communication widely to promote sales and the communication of brandimage.