Evolutionary trend and network structure characteristics of publicity information dissemination about waste separation by different opinion leaders

Abstract

Opinion leaders play significant roles in encouraging waste separation behaviors and increasing individual knowledge about environmental protection. To encourage waste reduction at its source, it is critical to determine the dissemination law and the structure characteristics of opinion leaders when they discuss waste separation information. This study explored the dynamic evolution law of information dissemination by official and celebrity opinion leaders. The results showed that the information released by celebrities showed a higher level of dissemination. The key forwarding nodes appeared in the transmission chain of highly influential celebrities, boosting the transmission depth of information. Official opinion leaders can use weak relationships to spread information to different groups, expanding the spread of information. Besides, the audience distribution pattern for official opinion leaders was highly coincident with the Hu Line and that the audience response degree achieved by celebrities showed a decreasing trend from the southeast coast to northwest inland.