A couple of classes ago we discussed diffusion networks and the idea of a two step flow model of diffusion. The thought was that an idea would catch on with a small group of individuals and spread to a large group of individuals. Further, one of the papers we read claimed that not only did ideas diffuse through two main steps, but that the first step was the flow to an “opinion leader.” This opinion leader was the key to getting the idea out of a corner of the network and into the middle of the giant component.
One example we discussed in class was the Northeastern State of Mind video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhl6o-pdN9I) that exploded across Northeastern students’ Facebook walls and email inboxes earlier this year. To me this video was certainly a tribute to the two step flow model in that it first spread to a small group of students (friends of the producers) and from there spread to the rest of the student body and beyond.
What I am less enthusiastic to support is the idea that the video spread through major opinion leaders. I think that due to the high use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the role of opinion leaders may be diminishing in importance. At least in my case, the video came through me not through particularly tech savvy, outrageous, or trendsetting friends, but through friends that I usually view as trend followers. Perhaps this is a testament to the widely applicable (at least to the Northeastern student body) content of the video, but I truly think it spread much less through opinion leaders than say, rice in Indian villages or cow farming techniques in the Netherlands. I would be interested in seeing a study of the role of opinion leaders in a modern, electronic environment vs. the role of opinion leaders in rural areas.
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