OPINION LEADERSHIP AS A PHENOMENON ON SOCIAL NETWORK TWITTER

Pričujoča diplomska naloga se loteva raziskave pojava mnenjskih voditeljev v spletnem socialnem omrežju Twitter. Sam koncept mnenjskega voditeljstva se je sicer izoblikoval skozi raziskave javnega mnenja sredi dvajsetega stoletja, se nato utrdil v Teoriji difuzije inovacij in je danes, zaradi popularnosti uporabe spletnih socialnih omrežij, reaktualiziran in v središču zanimanja različnih znanosti. Mnenjski voditelji naj bi bili v splošnem posamezniki, ki so si s pomočjo znanja in drugih kompetenc, pridobili zaupanje twin vpliv nad ožjimi ali širšimi družbenimi okolji. Namen naloge je raziskati pojav mnenjskega voditeljstva na Twitterju ter razumeti vlogo, ki jo imajo mnenjski voditelji kot artikulirani in kritični posamezniki v tem spletnem socialnem omrežju. Namen je tudi natančneje definirati osnovne pojme mnenjskega voditeljstva in kontekstov, v katere je ta neločljivo vpet. Naloga temelji na primerjavi med definicijo mnenjskega voditelja, kot jo je v znameniti Teoriji difuzije inovacij zapisal Everett Rogers, in ugotovitvah ter mnenjih šestih kompetentnih intervjuvancev. Osrednja cilja naloge sta: pokazati, da lahko uveljavljen komunikološki koncept mnenjskega voditeljstva apliciramo na določene uporabnike spletnega omrežja Twitter ter s pomočjo interpretacije intervjujev poglobiti razumevanje omenjenega področja raziskave.This paper is a research of opinion leadership as a phenomenon on Twitter social media network. The concept of opinion leadership was shaped through studies of public opinion in the middle of twentieth century and was later established in Diffusion of innovation theory. Nowadays it is reactualized and in focus of various sciences because of popularity and use of social media networks. Opinion leaders are in general percieved to be individuals who gained trust and influence among their close or much broader social environments. The aim of this paper is to find the opinion leaders on Twitter and to understand their role as articulated and assertive individuals in social media environment. Paper also aims to more throughly define basic concepts of opinion leadership and contexts within which it appears to operate. Paper is partly based upon the comparison between the Rogers Everett definition of opinion leadership from his paradigmatic Diffusion of innovation theory, and findings from opinions of six competent interviewees. The main objective is to show that we can apply the established concept of opinion leadership to certain users of Twitter network and with the interpretation of the interviews deepen the understanding aforementioned research subject