A Study of the Role of Online Opinion Leaders in Public Incidents

Abstract

Online opinion leaders have emerged over time in the new media landscape. Online opinion leaders serve as information sources, analyze, and explain events, demonstrate and guide, and participate in efforts in service of the public and also serve to mobilize people online. Opinion leaders play varying roles during a public opinion incident depending on which stage the incident is in. During the infancy of the public opinion incident, opinion leaders serve to gather opinions, while during the incident propagation period, they enlarge the reach of discussion. As the incident peaks in intensity, opinion leaders serve to deepen discussion coverage. In other countries, great importance is attached to the positive roles of opinion leaders, and their participation is actively sought out at times of electoral contests and the making and publicizing of public policy, and in the course of day-to-day management in order to mitigate negative public opinion. Therefore, in China, we should also pay more attention to the key roles that opinion leaders play in terms of online opinion, identify online opinion leaders, and establish the platforms for communication and contact with such leaders, so that we will be able to harness the positive effects of online opinion leaders to resolve crises within the public management system of today.