Question

Which category of adopter possesses the greatest degree of opinion leadership in most social system?

• A. Innovator
• B. Early adopter
• C. Early majority
• D. Late majority

Hint:

To remember this concept, associate "Early Adopters" with "Opinion Leaders" and "Innovators" with "Venturesome Experimenters". Early adopters are respected local role models, making them key to diffusion.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
According to Everett M. Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory, individuals in a social system are classified into five adopter categories based on their innovativeness.
These categories are Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards.
Opinion leadership refers to the degree to which an individual is able to influence other individuals' attitudes or overt behavior informally in a desired way.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the level of opinion leadership across the primary adopter categories:
- Innovators: Although they are the first to adopt new ideas, they are often perceived as deviants or "venturesome" individuals. Because they operate at the fringes of the local social system, they have low opinion leadership.
- Early Adopters: This category is highly integrated into the local social system and possesses the highest degree of opinion leadership. Other members of the social system look to them for advice and information before adopting an innovation. They serve as role models.
- Early Majority: They adopt new ideas just before the average member of a social system. While they interact frequently with peers, they rarely hold positions of opinion leadership.
- Late Majority: They are skeptical and adopt innovations after the average member of the social system, possessing low opinion leadership.

Step 2: Final Answer:
Therefore, the Early Adopter category possesses the greatest degree of opinion leadership, matching Option (B).