The Power of Opinion Leaders - by Prakash S

Opinion leaders are people whose opinions, views and endorsements are valued by the general public. Most of the celebrities are default opinion leaders as many people idolize them and also try to ape them.

I feel being an opinion leader is a very good thing as this is a wonderful opportunity for them to influence people to do something good and to make a big difference. Moreover, being a celebrity, they can have a positive influence on a large number of people at once. National celebrities (like sportspersons/musicians/singers/actors) can have a powerful influence that can last through generations. But it can also be a double-edged sword and can lead to wrong influences which can have devastating effects. Hence it’s extremely important that opinion leaders fully utilize their unique position and lead by example. Here are some of the things they can do to play their role in making the world and our country a much better place. In fact, they can collaborate with the establishment to make their life easier.

Endorse healthy products, eco-friendly products, products of self-help groups etc.

Avoid endorsing harmful/unhealthy products like liquor, cigarettes, cola drinks (E.g. Former shuttle player Pullela Gopichand declined an offer from a cola brand just after he had won the All England Open because he felt he would send the wrong message of drinking carbonated drinks)

Participate in campaigns like voter awareness, rights of citizens, child education, following traffic rules etc (E.g. Aamir Khan participated in the India Tourism advertisement which talks about keeping places clean and the Indian concept of Athithi Devobhava)

Support and freely endorse NGO’s, trusts and other such organizations which do large scale community service (E.g. Many actors and sportspersons have tie-ups with and frequently participate in the campaigns of such NGO’s and service organizations like Greenpeace)

Let us take a moment to examine the flip side of the story, there have been times when such strong opinion leaders have endorsed a lot of harmful products and needless to say it had detrimental effects. For e.g. Rajinikanth was famous for his cigarette style and that did lead to many people smoking as it was a symbol of class and style. Many movies show actors smoking and drinking and enjoying and this subconsciously creates a lasting impression in young minds that drinking and smoking is a trendy thing to do and gives a higher social status.

Of course, it’s ultimately the choice of individuals what they want to do but as a society we need to frequently take stock of where are we heading. Opinion leaders to an extent, can make or mar the moods and habits of a nation and they do have an indirect impact in shaping the very character of a nation.