Faculty from University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Western Illinois University Team up to Study Superdiffusers
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Information Integrity Institute Faculty Fellow Associate Professor Michael Kotowski teams up with Professor Christopher Carpenter at Western Illinois University to uncover new ways to examine the power of opinion leaders within social networks. Specifically, two groundbreaking studies by Carpenter and Kotowski shed light on how superdiffusers—individuals who exhibit exceptional influence on others within their social networks—can be identified and then used for promoting positive health choices.
Their first recently published paper in the Western Journal of Communication finds that “connectors” play a crucial role in building broad and diverse social networks of people. These individuals excel at making friends, linking groups, and forming strong social ties, making them ideal for spreading information widely. Traits like sociability and awareness of social dynamics were identified as important factors that help such connectors succeed. But that is not enough. Successful opinion leaders not only connect with many people but also have strong persuasive abilities (“persuader traits”) and are topic domain experts )”maven traits”).
“This research helps us better understand why certain people can quickly spread behaviors and information through a community and how to effectively identify them,” says Kotowski. “By effectively identifying superdiffusers, we can improve campaigns for public health, political movements, and social change.”
This led to the researchers’ second paper now published in the journal Communication Studies, which sheds light on how superdiffusers can be recruited to promote health behaviors as health opinion leaders.
Carpenter and Kotowski found that superdiffusers often possess a self-schema, or identity framework, centered on gaining esteem from others for their health expertise. This insight guided the researchers to test recruitment methods utilizing self-schema for a hypothetical on-campus campaign to encourage students to promote COVID-19 vaccines.
Using targeted messages that appealed to the desire for esteem, the team found that healthy superdiffusers were significantly more likely to express interest in joining a vaccine-promotion group compared to those who did not share this self-schema. They were also more likely to discuss the vaccine within their social networks.
“These findings highlight the potential of leveraging self-schema alignment in health campaigns. By identifying the core motivations of superdiffusers, we can craft messages that resonate deeply with them thus improving recruitment and training,” the researchers noted.
While promising, the study also underscores the need for further research. Broader populations may require different strategies, and practical testing in actual campaigns will be essential. Still, the work offers a compelling framework for boosting participation in health initiatives, particularly among groups already inclined to influence others.
Overall, these two recently published articles provide valuable insight into the dynamics of social influence, particularly in the context of health behavior promotion. Carpenter and Kotowski emphasize the importance of identifying and engaging superdiffusers within social networks to facilitate the spread of information. By aligning messaging with core motivations of key opinion leaders, the researchers offer a strategic framework to be tested for campaigns and social interventions.
Read more about Kotowski’s work on information integrity and the influence of others here.
Carpenter, C. J., & Kotowski, M. R. (2024). Single Trait versus Multi-Trait Opinion Leadership Models. Western Journal of Communication, 1-23.
Carpenter, C. J., & Kotowski, M. R. (2024). Using Self-Schema Matching to Recruit Superdiffusers for a Potential Vaccine Word-of-Mouth Promotion Campaign. Communication Studies, 1-17.