Four types of influencers
What is an influencer ... in social networks?
The first issue is to define and understand what an influencer is, because at this point there is already a great deal of discrepancy between opinions among experts.
In my opinion, there are several types of influencers out there:
False influencer, robots and other strategic contraptions
Surely you will hear familiar news of groups of users called fakes and created with a specific motive, for example, discredit a politician, advertise a product or make a rumor.
Social networks are no longer just means of communication where people can communicate in a fluid way but have become an unprecedented mass manipulation mechanism. Organizations of all kinds know this potential, and the less ethical do not hesitate to take advantage of any opportunity that technology gives them to manipulate for their own benefit.
Detecting this type of user is not always easy. Sometimes they use profiles with non-personal names, but in other cases they are even hidden behind photographs of real people. The ratio between number of followers and followed may be an indicator, although not enough.
Selfpromotional influencer
They are users who come to talk about your book, and do not talk about anything other than your book. If your tool allows you to make a separation between brand reputation and action, as I told you in the 10 keys to understand Active Listening, the analysis is easier, since you can discount the activity that these users perform the total.
Influencer-opinion generator
They are the users who create the original information, or the rumor. They are also called idea starters, because they are the ones who put into circulation the ideas that others will echo. They are one of the main types of influencers, because their ideas, or rumors, can generate new currents of thought, what we know as trending topics.
Anyone can be an opinion builder, need not have many followers, or need to have been an opinion leader before, only have to come together two circumstances:
In certain cases opinion makers are experts in a topic and generate interesting information on that topic, information that others echo. For example, a NASA scientist who decides to explain in his blog the science in a format suitable for all audiences.
At other times these opinion makers are more organized entities with a strategic objective, that is, organizations that launch memes to manipulate at their convenience. For example, a political party that launches slogans to capture followers or discredit their opponent.
Influencer amplifier
Amplifier users are those who share information from others and make it reach many more people. Generally they have many followers and also followers who make much echo of what they say. This is the type that is commonly known as influencer, since it is the highest index in different indicators such as number of followers, Klout, page rank, and so on. Its main function in the network is to amplify the information created by opinion generators and get it to reach more people. That is to say, they are those that give influence to the generators of opinion.
The first issue is to define and understand what an influencer is, because at this point there is already a great deal of discrepancy between opinions among experts.
In my opinion, there are several types of influencers out there:
False influencer, robots and other strategic contraptions
Surely you will hear familiar news of groups of users called fakes and created with a specific motive, for example, discredit a politician, advertise a product or make a rumor.
Social networks are no longer just means of communication where people can communicate in a fluid way but have become an unprecedented mass manipulation mechanism. Organizations of all kinds know this potential, and the less ethical do not hesitate to take advantage of any opportunity that technology gives them to manipulate for their own benefit.
Detecting this type of user is not always easy. Sometimes they use profiles with non-personal names, but in other cases they are even hidden behind photographs of real people. The ratio between number of followers and followed may be an indicator, although not enough.
Selfpromotional influencer
They are users who come to talk about your book, and do not talk about anything other than your book. If your tool allows you to make a separation between brand reputation and action, as I told you in the 10 keys to understand Active Listening, the analysis is easier, since you can discount the activity that these users perform the total.
Influencer-opinion generator
They are the users who create the original information, or the rumor. They are also called idea starters, because they are the ones who put into circulation the ideas that others will echo. They are one of the main types of influencers, because their ideas, or rumors, can generate new currents of thought, what we know as trending topics.
Anyone can be an opinion builder, need not have many followers, or need to have been an opinion leader before, only have to come together two circumstances:
- Have an original idea.
- Viralize the idea.
In certain cases opinion makers are experts in a topic and generate interesting information on that topic, information that others echo. For example, a NASA scientist who decides to explain in his blog the science in a format suitable for all audiences.
At other times these opinion makers are more organized entities with a strategic objective, that is, organizations that launch memes to manipulate at their convenience. For example, a political party that launches slogans to capture followers or discredit their opponent.
Influencer amplifier
Amplifier users are those who share information from others and make it reach many more people. Generally they have many followers and also followers who make much echo of what they say. This is the type that is commonly known as influencer, since it is the highest index in different indicators such as number of followers, Klout, page rank, and so on. Its main function in the network is to amplify the information created by opinion generators and get it to reach more people. That is to say, they are those that give influence to the generators of opinion.