Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube
The ease of content creation and distribution on social networking sites (SNS) has necessitated modifications to the conventional perspective of opinion leadership and spurred ordinary users to become opinion leaders, also known as social media influencers (SMIs). SMIs serve as independent endorsers...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2019
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/104807 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48079 |
| _version_ | 1811680884004225024 |
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| author | Looi, Jie Min |
| author2 | Shirley Ho Soo Yee |
| author_facet | Shirley Ho Soo Yee Looi, Jie Min |
| author_sort | Looi, Jie Min |
| collection | NTU |
| description | The ease of content creation and distribution on social networking sites (SNS) has necessitated modifications to the conventional perspective of opinion leadership and spurred ordinary users to become opinion leaders, also known as social media influencers (SMIs). SMIs serve as independent endorsers that create and distribute content to an extensive network of followers on SNS. Due to the burgeoning social prominence and widespread popularity of SMIs in today’s media environment, there is a resurgence of scholarly interest in opinion leadership on SNS. This study serves as the first empirical assessment of SMIs on YouTube. Guided by the social identity theory of leadership and using the contentious issue of nuclear energy development, this study examines how SMIs influence the attitudes and behaviors of their social group members. This 3 (Attitude similarity: Similar vs. mixed vs. dissimilar) x 2 (Social group status: Ordinary YouTube user vs. SMI) between-subjects factorial experiment was conducted with 251 Singapore citizens and permanent residents from an online survey panel. Attitude similarity significantly predicted participants’ attitudes toward the YouTube video, their attitude strength toward nuclear energy development, and their willingness to share the YouTube video. Attitude similarity also interacted with social group status to influence participants’ willingness to share the YouTube video. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research were discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:32:08Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | ntu-10356/104807 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T03:32:08Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1048072020-07-01T01:27:47Z Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube Looi, Jie Min Shirley Ho Soo Yee Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication The ease of content creation and distribution on social networking sites (SNS) has necessitated modifications to the conventional perspective of opinion leadership and spurred ordinary users to become opinion leaders, also known as social media influencers (SMIs). SMIs serve as independent endorsers that create and distribute content to an extensive network of followers on SNS. Due to the burgeoning social prominence and widespread popularity of SMIs in today’s media environment, there is a resurgence of scholarly interest in opinion leadership on SNS. This study serves as the first empirical assessment of SMIs on YouTube. Guided by the social identity theory of leadership and using the contentious issue of nuclear energy development, this study examines how SMIs influence the attitudes and behaviors of their social group members. This 3 (Attitude similarity: Similar vs. mixed vs. dissimilar) x 2 (Social group status: Ordinary YouTube user vs. SMI) between-subjects factorial experiment was conducted with 251 Singapore citizens and permanent residents from an online survey panel. Attitude similarity significantly predicted participants’ attitudes toward the YouTube video, their attitude strength toward nuclear energy development, and their willingness to share the YouTube video. Attitude similarity also interacted with social group status to influence participants’ willingness to share the YouTube video. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research were discussed. Master of Communication Studies 2019-04-26T05:14:35Z 2019-12-06T21:40:14Z 2019-04-26T05:14:35Z 2019-12-06T21:40:14Z 2019 Thesis Looi, J. M. (2019). Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube. Master's thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/104807 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48079 10.32657/10220/48079 en 100 p. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication Looi, Jie Min Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title | Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title_full | Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title_fullStr | Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title_short | Spokespersons for science : examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on YouTube |
| title_sort | spokespersons for science examining the attitudinal and behavioral influences of opinion leaders on youtube |
| topic | DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/104807 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/48079 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT looijiemin spokespersonsforscienceexaminingtheattitudinalandbehavioralinfluencesofopinionleadersonyoutube |