The Scale of Social Media Influencers’ Thought Leadership Among Followers – Turkish version

Introduction

The emergence of social media has significantly transformed the way individuals interact and perceive leadership. This article discusses the development of the “Sociomedia Phenomenon: Opinion Leadership Scale” designed by Mehmet Sinan Tam in 2020. This scale aims to measure the opinion leadership of social media phenomena in the eyes of their followers. The essence of this scale and its varied dimensions will be explored in detail, providing insights into its use in social and communication sciences.

Scale Overview

The “Sociomedia Phenomenon: Opinion Leadership Scale” is a developmental type of measurement tool that consists of six dimensions: Information, Proximity, Imitation, Trust, Communication, and Entertainment. The scale includes a total of 22 items, encompassing a holistic view of how social media figures influence their followers. These dimensions capture various aspects of how individuals engage with social media leaders, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the underlying psychological motivations.

Application and Demographics

The scale is designed to be applicable to all individuals aged 18 and above, making it a versatile tool for researchers and practitioners in social sciences. The items are rated on a five-point Likert scale, where respondents indicate their level of agreement ranging from “Strongly Disagree” (1) to “Strongly Agree” (5). This rating system allows for nuanced data collection reflecting varied degrees of opinion leadership recognized by followers.

Source and Reference Details

The scale is documented in an academic article by Mehmet Sinan Tam, published in the Iğdır University Journal of Social Sciences. The complete reference of the source material is as follows:

Tam, M. S. (2020). “Sociomedia Phenomenon: Opinion Leadership Scale.” *Iğdır University Journal of Social Sciences*, 3(23), 481-502.