Digital influencers' roles in Web 2.0 technologies and social influence

¶ … Web 2.0 stretch traditional influencing patterns? (Eccleston, Griseri, 2008) the authors contend that the analyses completed of digital influencers' roles leads to the definition of three dominant groups or segments of online influencers. These three segments include Mavens, Connectors and Salespersons and were used as the basis of Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book the Tipping Point. The basis of this study sponsored by Harris Interactive, the firm both authors are employees of, centers on completing 1,093 interviews online between the 10th and 17th of December, 2007. The methodology sought to more clearly define and validate the three dominant roles of these groups as was originally proposed in Malcolm Gladwell's book and had since become pervasive in its use in defining the implications of Web 2.0 technologies.

Analysis of Research Methodology

The concept of Mavens, Connectors and Salespersons forming a triad of online influencers has influenced many academic and commercial research studies, with researchers seeking to understand how these groups form significant influence on the socio-economic groups around them. Mavens are defined as those that collect information on products and services, and are often asked for their opinions of them. These are considered to be the key influencers that can significantly influence the value of any given brand or specific product. Connectors are those people who are gregarious and look forward to meeting and connecting with others. Salespersons in the methodology as defined by Gladwell, and for purposes of this study, are used, are educators who have an expansive knowledge base they draw on. The hypothesis of this study states that there is significant social influence on their surrounding communities based on the expertise, intelligence, knowledge and respected insights, and that this influence can be attributed to the use of Web 2.0 technologies that in turn make collaboration more effective as well.

The authors relied on the online panel of Internet users who are 16 years of age or older, have access to the Internet, and have been qualified as part of the Harris Interactive propensity scoring model. This scoring model is specifically used for managing the representativeness of the sample. In conjunction with this quantitative approach, Harris Interactives' researchers (Eccleston, Griseri, 2008) also relied on focus groups to further validate their hypotheses from a qualitative standpoint as well. The result was that each of the three groups was statistically proven to be significant in both online and offline interactions.

Conclusion

The ambitious task of attempting to validate the three dominant groups of social influence as defined in the Tipping Point further illustrates how critical a solid methodology is, and one that is also capable of being segmented by more than just demographic variables. The defining of segments psychographically was essential to gain insights into these three influencer groups. In conclusion, this methodology sought to control extraneous effects including sampling error to capture the most effective approach to capturing the most accurate state of these three influencer groups and their interaction on their broader environments.

Reference:

Derek Eccleston, Luca Griseri. (2008). How does Web 2.0 stretch traditional influencing patterns? International Journal of Market Research, 50(5), 591. September, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1569170581).