Communication and role of opinion leaders towards Thai Fans. Case Study: BTS

Abstract

        The research “Communication and Role of Opinion Leaders towards Thai Fans. Case Study: BTS” aimed to study the communication and role of opinion leaders in Thai fans of BTS. This study was qualitative research. The data was collected from in-depth interviews with opinion leaders and discussions among BTS fans. The samples were selected based on a purposive sampling. The major findings revealed as follows:

        1. The communication style of the Thai fans leaders' opinions of BTS. The opinion leaders were messengers and centers of integration. There were conversations, interactions, news translation, information exchange, social activities to promote the reputation of BTS and fans. There was a communication issue in providing information and news about BTS's future, which may be customized for personal information. The communication channels used new media to receive messages and communicate with fans such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and website. There are the use of personal media as other opinion leaders, official media events are events organized by agencies or capitalists, and informal events organized by opinion leaders or fans themselves. Recipients were Thai fans who are exposed to BTS-related media by their friends, close friends, or groups of people in online media. The media used to keep up with personal media news are opinion leaders and other BTS fans, using new media, and following the news from the agency. The news was spread widely, personal opinions were posted, and the news was filtered before the news was spread or commented on.

        2. The role of Thai fan club opinion leader BTS played a role in spreading information, protecting and maintaining BTS's reputation, providing fan club information and advice, and fostering relationships with BTS fans.