• Korean journal of communication and information
• /
• v.31
• /
• pp.51-84
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to investigate characteristics of active information and opinion giver in the interactive-public communication space of internet. More specifically, this study explores that the active information and opinion giver have the same traits with opinion leader, which are personal attributes (topic involvement and individuation), social activity, source of information and influentials, and socio-demographic attributes. The research consisted of a questionnaire, which was administered using e-mail, and 175 replies were returned. The results show that higher activity of sending information and opinion is associated with characteristics of opinion leader. First, It was found that higher activity group in sending information and opinion have higher degree of topic involvement and individuation than lower group. Second, the former is more active behavior than the latter in social activity. Third, it was examined that behaviors of sending and giving information and opinion with interpersonal communication channel was connected with those of the interactive-public communication space in internet. Also, the result of analysis with mass communication channel was found the distinction in three different kinds of magazines which is related with specific media. Finally, characteristics of socio-demography were not different between two group, with the exception of gender.