The topic of opinion leader is in secton A of the journalism paper...
Here i would like to share something about opinion leaders,who are they??etc...
(In two step flow,we have seen that information from media sources reaches the audience in two ways:
a: Direct: That is the audience are exposed to media sources directly,like TV,radio,newspapers etc..
b:through opinion leaders:that is the opinion leaders are directly exposed to the media contents,then these leaders further influence their audience in orded to convince them...

Dont get confused if this topic is new for you guyz...
opinion leader can be you, your neighbour, Dr.Shahid Masood etc..infact those poeple which influence you...it can be in your community...like for example when you go for voting, you actually bear in mind the advice of your community opinion leader whom to vote for...you are not concerned with,chances are,the campaign of the politicians...rather you will vote for that person which your friend,neighbour etc.are going to vote...(your opinion leader,OP)
hey i think im not a good teacher...so below is some additional information about OP...hope you will get some benefit from it...

Opinion leaders are not a group set apart, and ... opinion leadership is not a trait which some people have and others do not, but rather ... opinion leadership is an integral part of the give-and-take of everyday personal relationships" (Katz and Lazarsfeld 1955, p.33).
Katz and Lazarsfeld see opinion leaders as people in certain segments of society that are interested in particular subjects who become, in effect, something like media experts on those subjects. It is these people, then, that absorb certain media messages and inform their friends, families, and peers. Opinion leaders are not necessarily traditional leaders in society, such as politicians and clergy and the like (although they can be). Rather, they are perceived experts in particular domains.

Lazarsfeld and Herbert Menzel note that opinion leaders are not found solely in the upper classes of society, but tend to be "evenly distributed through every class and population" (1974, p.97). Moreover, in the Decatur study of 1945, Katz and Lazarsfeld found that there was "very little overlap of leadership - a leader in one sphere was not especially likely to be influential also in another, unrelated, sphere" (Lazarsfeld and Menzel 1974, p.98). Therefore opinion leadership appears restricted to peer groups, at least on the surface. Cooks inform cooks on culinary issues, commuters inform commuters, and so on. Katz and Lazarsfeld refer to this concept as "horizontal opinion leadership" (1955, p.6). However, it would be simplistic to say that people only influence those that are exactly like themselves, and so there is always the presence of "vertical opinion leadership" that cannot be discounted in any conveyance of information - age and authority often play large roles (Katz and Lazarsfeld 1955, p.6).

One of the main points in discussing opinion leadership as it relates to functional theory and the Two - Step Flow model is that mass media communication does not reach the public in one giant wave. Rather, there are two steps in the process, and there is a trickle-down effect among subgroups of a population. The opinion leader, then, is the key to this model of communication.

Subgroups are collections of people that share similar traits or interests, and opinion leaders tend to be seen as those people who are both informed and are upholders of the "norms of a social system [or subgroup]" (Watson and Hall 1997, p.163). This is not to say that people may belong to one group only as they lead their daily lives. Rather, most people tend to belong to several groups at once, and consult different opinion leaders depending on the issue at hand (Katz and Lazarsfeld 1955, p.330-332). Katz and Lazarsfeld found in the Decatur study that opinion leadership exists in the realms of fashion, marketing, public opinion and movie attendance (1955, p.330-332), although it can be surmised that opinion leadership exists for every issue or decision one might encounter in day-to-day living.

@ aano
My Views and Review of aano's Views
Human life is altogether engulfed by the technological complexities of the modern scientic world.The communication by direct method has become rather a difficult task in such phenomena of larger heterogeneity of the masses, rapidly growing population, marathon distances between a communicator/ panel of communicators and the target audience and above all the scientific headways in the lives of the people. The passage of an intended message, within the required time , to the appropriate group becomes an unviable idea in the backdrop of the modern developments .Here begins the need of Two-Step Flow of Communication and the role of Opinion Leader.
Because a message is to be delivered to an appropriate audience {which can not be otherwise accessed through a direct method) so a Two-Step Flow of Communication Model has been developed to serve the cause. In this model, an individual, a group , an organization or institution is, at first, exposed to a particular message who, in the second step, convey the same message to the target audience.
(I will not agree to the views of aano that TSFC has a direct method of communication also.This militates agaist the underlying purpose of The TSFC Model.)
The essence of TSFC lies in the significant role of an Opinion Leader.
An Opinion Leader may be an individual or an organization like mass media who greatly influences the mental orientations, behavorial leanings and likes and dislikes of an audience. He has an important role to play in effective communication of a message to the people. The common masses are more readily influenced by the views of an Opinion Leader becuz of many reasons concerning with the biological, psychological and social needs of them. This has also a connection with the traits, qualities and potentialities of the Opinion Leader which make his role indispensable in the communication process.
(I think the Concept of Two-Step Flow of Communication and Role of Opinion Leader is amply illustrated.The discussion shall continue further with new ideas and explanations, Inshallah)

__________________
Irfan Ali Samo
Police Service of Pakistan

Rectification

I take my words of disagreement with aano.The words can not be deleted frm the passage above.I misunderstood his views abt the two methods of communication,i.e.Direct and indirect involved in TSFC. He is right.So no reservation.

__________________
Irfan Ali Samo
Police Service of Pakistan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irfi Rectification I take my words of disagreement with aano.The words can not be deleted frm the passage above.I misunderstood his views abt the two methods of communication,i.e.Direct and indirect involved in TSFC. @Irfi... You have done another mistake...guess what???? He is right.So no reservation.

hey im not he...im she...
lolzzz
no sweat if you have misunderstood it...but im glad that finally you have comprehanded the right concept!!
Opinion Leaders are those which have a great influence in shaping the opinions of the masses...
hey im in a hurry now...i will make it clear to you...if you have any problems concerning it...promise!!!
P.S: i havent minded your mistake...we are here to learn from one another...ok??
Cheers

__________________
__________________________________
nahin nigah main manzil to justaju hi sahi
nahin wisaal mayassar to arzu hi sahi